The Colorado LEAP Study: A Socioecological Approach to Obesity Prevention in Early Childhood

NCT ID: NCT01937481

Last Updated: 2018-07-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

230 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2010-09-30

Study Completion Date

2017-07-31

Brief Summary

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The Colorado Longitudinal Eating And Physical activity (LEAP) Study utilizes a social ecological approach to explore individual, family and environmental factors and their relationship to child weight status over a 3 year timeframe. Our primary research questions are as follows:

1. Are behavior changes (increased willingness to try new foods and gross motor skills) from a preschool nutrition and activity program, The Food Friends®, sustained through early elementary school?
2. Do The Food Friends® programs have an impact on reducing the percentage of children considered overweight and/or obese over a 3 year timeframe?
3. Do food preference and gross motor performance directly affect child weight status or are they mediators to dietary intake and physical activity?

Detailed Description

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The preschool years are a critical time to begin obesity prevention efforts as they represent a time when young children establish healthy eating habits and physical activity patterns. These habits can place children at risk for obesity and are shaped by many characteristics, including individual characteristics as well as school, family and societal environmental characteristics. Predictive behaviors, or behavioral antecedents, within these environments can influence child behaviors. While many predictive behaviors have been shown to influence dietary intake, physical activity, and weight status, two potential behavioral antecedents - food preference and motor performance - need further exploration. Understanding the context in which child behavioral patterns are developed is critical to developing a model to address childhood obesity.

The Colorado LEAP project is a longitudinal cohort study utilizing a controlled quasi-experimental design in 5 rural Colorado communities. Two communities serve as intervention communities with the other 3 as matched controls. Intervention sites receive The Food Friends® nutrition and physical activity programs in preschool and 'booster' programming in kindergarten and 1st grade. Assessments are administered 4 times - twice in preschool (Fall and Spring) and once in both kindergarten and 1st grade (Spring). Observational measures with children are conducted at the school; parent/home measures are sent home and returned to school via the child; and school personnel complete school environment and policy assessments.

Conditions

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Childhood Obesity

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Food Friends programs

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

The Food Friends

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The Food Friends is a research-based preschool program designed to address childhood obesity by establishing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors in preschool-aged children. The Food Friends: Fun With New Foods (12 weeks) focuses on helping children increasing children's willingness to try new foods and The Food Friends: Get Movin' With Mighty Moves (18 weeks) aims to enhance preschoolers' gross motor skill development. In effort to sustain the preschool behavior changes, the messages from The Food Friends® (Super Taster and Mighty Mover) will be extended into early elementary school through a 'booster' program. The booster program will consist of a kindergarten and 1st grade curriculum with 5 monthly units.

Control

Control group

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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The Food Friends

The Food Friends is a research-based preschool program designed to address childhood obesity by establishing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors in preschool-aged children. The Food Friends: Fun With New Foods (12 weeks) focuses on helping children increasing children's willingness to try new foods and The Food Friends: Get Movin' With Mighty Moves (18 weeks) aims to enhance preschoolers' gross motor skill development. In effort to sustain the preschool behavior changes, the messages from The Food Friends® (Super Taster and Mighty Mover) will be extended into early elementary school through a 'booster' program. The booster program will consist of a kindergarten and 1st grade curriculum with 5 monthly units.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Children enrolled in participating schools; entering kindergarten the year after recruitment

Exclusion Criteria

* Children not entering kindergarten within one year of recruitment.
Minimum Eligible Age

4 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

7 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Colorado, Denver

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Colorado State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Laura L Bellows

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Colorado State University

Locations

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Brush School District RE 2J

Brush, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Buena Vista School District

Buena Vista, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Iliff Head Start

Iliff, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Lake County School District

Leadville, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Salida School District

Salida, Colorado, United States

Site Status

RE-1 Valley School District

Sterling, Colorado, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Johnson SL, Ryan SM, Kroehl M, Moding KJ, Boles RE, Bellows LL. A longitudinal intervention to improve young children's liking and consumption of new foods: findings from the Colorado LEAP study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2019 Jun 3;16(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12966-019-0808-3.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 31159810 (View on PubMed)

Boles RE, Johnson SL, Burdell A, Davies PL, Gavin WJ, Bellows LL. Home food availability and child intake among rural families identified to be at-risk for health disparities. Appetite. 2019 Mar 1;134:135-141. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.12.002. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 30553878 (View on PubMed)

Johnson SL, Moding KJ, Maloney K, Bellows LL. Development of the Trying New Foods Scale: A preschooler self-assessment of willingness to try new foods. Appetite. 2018 Sep 1;128:21-31. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.05.146. Epub 2018 May 26.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 29842966 (View on PubMed)

Johnson SL, Davies PL, Boles RE, Gavin WJ, Bellows LL. Young Children's Food Neophobia Characteristics and Sensory Behaviors Are Related to Their Food Intake. J Nutr. 2015 Nov;145(11):2610-6. doi: 10.3945/jn.115.217299. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26423739 (View on PubMed)

Bellows LL, Johnson SL, Davies PL, Anderson J, Gavin WJ, Boles RE. The Colorado LEAP study: rationale and design of a study to assess the short term longitudinal effectiveness of a preschool nutrition and physical activity program. BMC Public Health. 2013 Dec 9;13:1146. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1146.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 24321701 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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USDA NIFA 2010-85215-20648

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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