Squire's Quest! II: Implementation Intentions and Children's Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable (FJV) Consumption
Condition: Obesity; Cancer
MeSH terms: Obesity
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 2

Summary: 
      The primary purpose of this research is to test the effects of goal setting on fruit and
      vegetable goal attainment and consumption in a 10 episode video game. Factors associated with
      maintenance of behavior change will also be examined. Secondary purposes are to explore the
      impact of the intervention on psychosocial factors and the home environment. 400 parent-child
      pairs will be recruited for this research (800 participants total). Children will play the
      video game and participate in data collection activities. Parents will receive newsletters,
      have access to a healthy foods web site, and participate in data collection activities. A
      small subset will be randomly selected to participate in interviews about the intervention
      and its effect on the home food environment.
    

Detailed description: 
      Obesity is increasing among youth and is associated with increased risk of certain cancers
      and other chronic diseases. Fruit, juice, and vegetable (FJV) intake is associated with
      decreased risk of many types of cancer and obesity, but is well below the recommended minimum
      of five servings a day. Innovative methods are needed to promote increased consumption among
      youth.

      Goal setting enhances goal attainment and, therefore, facilitates behavior change. Little
      research has been conducted, however, on the most effective goal setting methods to use with
      youth. Among adults, the formation of implementation intentions (a detailed plan of when,
      where, and how goals will be achieved) has been shown to enhance goal attainment and/or
      behavior change, including dietary change. Research is needed to determine if extending the
      goal setting process to include implementation intentions is an effective method for
      enhancing goal attainment, and therefore, increasing FJV intake among youth.

      Squire's Quest! is a proven-effective 10-session, 5 week interactive multi media program that
      enabled children to increase FJV consumption by 1.0 servings a day. Total consumption was
      still well below five servings a day, however. Additionally, goal attainment was related to
      FJV consumption among certain sub-groups of youth. Therefore, additional work in this area is
      warranted. The research outlined in this proposal will expand the goal setting component of
      this successful intervention to include the formation of implementation intentions.
      Hypotheses related to the impact of implementation intentions on goal attainment and FJV
      consumption will then be tested. Issues related to maintenance of youth dietary behavior
      change will also be explored.

      This project is relevant to public health because enhancing our understanding of how to more
      effectively help young children set and achieve FJV goals should result in increased FJV
      consumption, which should decrease risk of both obesity and certain cancers in a vulnerable
      segment of the population.
    

Intervention name(s): simple goal setting; goal setting plus action intentions; goal setting plus coping intentions; goal setting plus action intentions plus coping intentions
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): This group will set goals only; This group will set goals and form action intentions (plans); This group will set goals and form coping intentions (plans); This group will set goals and form action intentions and coping intentions
Other intervention name(s): goal setting; implementation intentions; action plans; implementation intentions; problem solving; implementation intentions; action plans; problem solving
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: children; video games; internet; parents; fruit; vegetable; implementation intention; goal setting; fruit and vegetable consumption; obesity prevention; cancer prevention