Brighter Bites - Access, Continuity and Education With Fruits and Vegetables

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of the research is to find out how well a new nutrition program works for elementary school students and their families. This program is called Brighter Bites. Brighter Bites is a school-based program that teaches students and their parents about the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and how to prepare them in tasty, healthy ways. This project is being carried out at six elementary schools in Houston, Texas. Up to 600 first grade students and their parents/guardians are expected to join this project.

Official Title
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Brighter Bites - Access, Continuity and Education With Fruits and Vegetables

Conditions
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Childhood Obesity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Brighter Bites
* Behavioral: CATCH


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Child is in enrolled in the 1st grade in the participating school Exclusion Criteria: None

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 5 Years
Maximum Age: 7 Years

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

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Brighter Bites<br>Children of families in the intervention group will also receive the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) school-based curriculum in addition to families receiving fresh fruits and vegetables to take home from school once a week along with nutrition education for 8 weeks in Fall and 8 weeks in Spring semesters of the school year. | Behavioral: Brighter Bites<br> <br> Behavioral: CATCH<br>* The comparison schools received training in implementing the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) school-based health promotion program<br>|
| Active Comparator: Comparison<br> | Behavioral: CATCH<br>* The comparison schools received training in implementing the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) school-based health promotion program<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| change intake of servings of fruits and vegetables for the child as assessed using the parent-reported food frequency questionnaire | Child dietary intake was measured using the parent-reported Block Kids Food validated screener to assess children's intake by food group, with outcomes measured in number of servings. The focus of this tool is on intake of fruit and fruit juices, vegetables, potatoes (including French fries), whole grains, meat/poultry/fish, dairy, legumes, saturated fat, added sugars (in sweetened cereals, soft drinks, and sweets). A secondary analysis produces estimates for intake of sugary beverages (both kcal and frequency). Individual portion sizes are asked. This screener takes about 10-12 minutes to complete. Servings of fruits and vegetables consumed are cumulatively reported. | baseline to 16 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| change in intake of grams of sugar for the child as assessed using the parent-reported food frequency questionnaire | Child dietary intake was measured using the parent-reported Block Kids Food validated screener to assess children's intake by food group, with outcomes measured in number of servings. The focus of this tool is on intake of fruit and fruit juices, vegetables, potatoes (including French fries), whole grains, meat/poultry/fish, dairy, legumes, saturated fat, added sugars (in sweetened cereals, soft drinks, and sweets). A secondary analysis produces estimates for intake of sugary beverages (both kcal and frequency). Individual portion sizes are asked. This screener takes about 10-12 minutes to complete. | baseline to 16 weeks | 
| change in intake of grams of fat for the child as assessed using the parent-reported food frequency questionnaire | Child dietary intake was measured using the parent-reported Block Kids Food validated screener to assess children's intake by food group, with outcomes measured in number of servings. The focus of this tool is on intake of fruit and fruit juices, vegetables, potatoes (including French fries), whole grains, meat/poultry/fish, dairy, legumes, saturated fat, added sugars (in sweetened cereals, soft drinks, and sweets). A secondary analysis produces estimates for intake of sugary beverages (both kcal and frequency). Individual portion sizes are asked. This screener takes about 10-12 minutes to complete. | baseline to 16 weeks | 
| change in intake of servings of fruits and vegetables for the parent as assessed using the parent-reported food frequency questionnaire | The validated 10-item Fruits and Vegetables Screener by the National Institutes of Health was administered to parents to determine the total number of servings of fruits and vegetables consumed daily. | baseline to 16 weeks | 
| change in availability of fruits and vegetables in the home as assessed using parent-reported surveys | Parents completed a self-report survey measuring frequency of availability of fresh fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks at home during the past 7 days. | baseline to 16 weeks |