The GREEN Project Lunch Box Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The central hypothesis of The GREEN Project Lunch Box Study is that a school-based communication campaign that combines healthy eating and eco-friendly messages will improve the quality of foods that children bring from home to school more than a healthy eating campaign alone and compared to a control/delayed intervention condition at the end of one school year.

Detailed Description
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The proposed intervention seeks to improve the quality of foods brought to school from home by taking advantage of a natural synergy between healthy eating and eco-friendly behaviors to increase motivation to adopt healthy eating behaviors. The project involves the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel, school based communications campaign to simultaneously improve the nutrition quality and eco-friendliness of foods that elementary school children bring from home to school. The intervention is a theory-based multi-channel communications campaign based on qualitative research with the target population: children in grades three and four in public schools in Eastern Massachusetts and their caregivers. Schools were randomized to one of three conditions: (1) a campaign that includes healthy eating and eco-friendly messages; (2) a campaign that includes healthy eating messages only; and (3) a delayed healthy eating eco-friendly campaign after serving as a control group. Foods brought from home and the packaging associated with those foods will be assessed at baseline and at the end of the school year using a photographic technique. The primary outcome of interest is change in the number of servings of fruits and vegetables. Secondary outcomes will include changes in the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages; changes in processed, energy-dense foods; and changes in sugar sweetened beverages brought from home. We will also be able to assess changes in trash associated with foods brought from home.

Official Title
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The GREEN (Growing Right: Eating Eco-Friendly & Nutritious) Project Lunch Box Study

Conditions
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Health Communication

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Healthy Eating + Eco-Friendly Campaign
* Behavioral: Healthy Eating Campaign


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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CHILD PARTICIPANTS Inclusion Criteria: 3rd or 4th grade student in participating classroom Brings food from home to school at least 3 days per week Exclusion Criteria: Not a 3rd or 4th grade student Not enrolled in a participating classroom Does not bring food from home to school at least three days per week PARENT/CARETAKER PARTICIPANTS Inclusion Criteria: Child is a 3rd or 4th grade student in participating classroom Child brings food from home to school at least 3 days per week Exclusion Criteria: Child is not a 3rd or 4th grade student Child is not enrolled in a participating classroom Child does not bring food from home to school at least three days per week
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Healthy Eating + Eco-Friendly Campaign<br> | Behavioral: Healthy Eating + Eco-Friendly Campaign<br>* Participants receive a 6-month school-based campaign that includes: A 22-lesson classroom curriculum Homework activities that involve the family Monthly parent newsletters A food shopping and packing guide for parents Food demonstrations A poster contest School wide announcements<br>|
| Active Comparator: Healthy Eating Campaign<br> | Behavioral: Healthy Eating Campaign<br>* Participants receive a 6-month school-based campaign that includes: A 22-lesson classroom curriculum Homework activities that involve the family Monthly parent newsletters A food shopping and packing guide for parents Food demonstrations A poster contest School wide announcements<br>|
| No Intervention: Control/Delayed Intervention<br> | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in the quantity of fruit and vegetables brought from home to school |  | 6 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Changes in the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages brought from home to school |  | 6 months | 
| Changes in the quantity of processed, energy-dense foods brought from home to school |  | 6 months | 
| Changes in trash weight associated with foods brought from home to school |  | 6 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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school health, child, communication, diet, food, health communication, nutrition, parents, primary schools, school age population