Clinical trial NCT05977348: Increasing Food Literacy in Preschoolers to Reduce Obesity Risk
Official title: Increasing Food Literacy as a Means of Increasing Preschool Children's Food Acceptance and Reducing Obesity Risk
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Food Preferences
Food Selection
Eating, Healthy
Obesity, Childhood
Keywords: Food literacy
Healthy growth
Child Development
Food Acceptance
Lead sponsor: Penn State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-08-04
Enrollment: 770
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 3
Maximum age (years): 6
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: The project is a cluster-randomized trial, with a 1:1 ratio of classroom random assignment to intervention or control.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of a nutrition education program on preschool children's food literacy and food acceptance, and to examine the added influence of a healthy eating curriculum and parent education on children's food knowledge and healthful food choices. The project will be evaluated with 450 children ages 3 to 5 years in center-based childcare programs serving predominantly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible families in Pennsylvania. Outcomes for children who receive the added healthy eating curriculum will be compared to children in classrooms that only receive the nutrition education program.

Detailed description: Repeatedly exposing young children to new foods can increase their willingness to try those foods, and they may - with time - learn to like those foods. Being able to learn about, touch and taste new foods can be a powerful tool to foster young children's liking of new foods. This project's goals are to test whether a preschool nutrition education program can improve (1) children's ability to name and identify fruits and vegetables, (2) children's knowledge about food and nutrition, (3) children's healthful food choices during a meal, and (4) parenting around children's eating. Participants will include 450 children ages 3 to 5 years in center-based childcare programs serving a large majority of families experiencing poverty in Pennsylvania. In all classrooms, children will receive food literacy lessons designed to help them learn about different fruits and vegetables, where they grow, and why they are good for our bodies. Children in intervention classrooms will receive food literacy lessons, in addition to lessons on healthy eating designed to improve children's nutrition knowledge. Teachers in intervention classrooms will be provided with materials designed to increase children's knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating. Intervention parents will receive web-based lessons designed to improve parenting practices related to children's eating behaviors. The study will be conducted over a 14-month period, and a variety of child, teacher, classroom and parent outcomes will be measured before, during and after the intervention. The results of this study are anticipated to add new information on ways to improve children's nutrition knowledge and acceptance of fruits and vegetables.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Preschool children enrolled in participating centers

Exclusion Criteria:

* Severe food allergies that prevent children from consuming project foods
* Presence of a developmental or sensory disability that affects food intake and/or learning
* Lack of English fluency (children and caregivers)
* Children not regularly present during days/times that intervention lessons are delivered
* Parents who are not involved in feeding/preparing meals for children at least 50% of the time

Primary outcomes:
measure: Children's Food Acceptance
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Children's willingness to try novel foods
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Children's Food Literacy
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Children's Food Knowledge
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Children's Food Choices
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Child Weight Status/Adiposity
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
Other outcomes:
measure: Child food requests (parent report)
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Children's Appetitive Traits and Behaviors (parent and teacher report)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Children's Food Exposure (parent and teacher report)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Children's Mealtime Behaviors
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Food parenting practices (parent-report)
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Parent Nutrition Knowledge
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Household Food Security (parent-report)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Household Demographics and Parents' General Health (parent-report)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Childcare Provider Nutrition Knowledge
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Childcare Provider Feeding Beliefs
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Childcare Provider Demographics
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Classroom Food and Mealtime Environment
timeFrame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)
measure: Classroom Chaos
timeFrame: Baseline
Locations:
city: University Park
country: United States
facility: The Pennsylvania State University
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: Penn State University; Professor
name: Lori A Francis, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: