Nurturing Healthy Teachers

NCT ID: NCT05542537

Last Updated: 2025-07-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 379 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-11-04
• Study Completion Date: 2024-05-20

Brief Summary

The purpose of this trial is to compare the impact of a fruit and vegetable access plus nutrition education intervention to a nutrition education-only control on the health, well-being, and food security of early care and education (ECE) professionals. The intervention, called Nurturing Healthy Teachers, combines strategies from two evidence-based programs - Create Healthy Futures (CHF) and Brighter Bites (BB).

Detailed Description

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the impact of the Nurturing Healthy Teachers program on food insecurity, dietary behaviors, mental health, and cardiometabolic health among early care and education (ECE) professionals who teach Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten. Nurturing Healthy Teachers is a novel, comprehensive program that combines strategies from two evidence-based programs - Brighter Bites (implemented by Brighter Bites 501c3 non-profit) and Create Healthy Futures (implemented by Penn State Better Kid Care).

1. Brighter Bites (BB) is a 501c3 non-profit organization that implements an evidence-based coordinated school health program that combines access to fresh produce and nutrition education proven to improve dietary intake among preschool and elementary school teachers, low-income children, and their families. For 16 weeks in the school year, Brighter Bites teachers and families receive a weekly distribution of about 20 lbs (50 servings) of primarily donated fresh vegetables, plus weekly healthy recipe tastings, and nutrition education. The program has proven effectiveness at engaging teachers, parents, increasing healthy dietary behaviors and improving the school and home nutrition environment of low-income elementary school children in the short-term.

2. Developed and implemented by Penn State Extension Better Kid Care (BKC), Create Healthy Futures (CHF) is a web-based nutrition education program that targets nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, mindfulness, and social support to create healthy habits among teachers. CHF also includes facilitated group meetings to reinforce information from the online modules.

The trial will be conducted in 30 elementary schools that have pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes that serve predominantly low-income families in Houston. Schools in the intervention arm (n=15) will receive Brighter Bites plus the complete Create Healthy Futures program including online modules and in-person meetings, and they will be drawn from schools that are already scheduled to receive Brighter Bites during the 2022-2023 school year. Schools in the control arm (n=15) will only receive passive access to the online modules of the Create Healthy Futures program, and they will be drawn from remaining schools across the district, as long as they have not participated in Brighter Bites in the previous two years. The intervention and control programs will be implemented over one school year (9months). Brighter Bites non-profit organization and Penn State Better Kid Care will implement the Nurturing Healthy Teachers program, while UTHealth School of Public Health investigators will conduct the evaluation of the program.

Conditions

Nutrition, Healthy; Mental Health Wellness 1; Diabetes Mellitus Risk; Obesity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module

BB is Brighter Bites. CHF is Create Healthy Futures.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Brighter Bites (BB) Produce Distribution

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

For 16 weeks in the school year, teachers in participating program schools will receive distributions of 8-10 different types of produce items.

Brighter Bites (BB) Nutrition Education

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Brighter Bites Nutrition Education will consist of recipes, food preparation and storage ideas, and tips and tools to budget and plan meals. Teachers will be trained in a nutrition education curriculum, which will be implemented in the program schools as part of the BB program.

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Weekly Wellness Groups

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Peer-facilitators will lead virtual weekly group discussions. Penn State Better Kid Care will train the wellness facilitators.

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Create Healthy Futures Web-Based Module is self-paced and focuses on the following topics: 1) Introduction, 2) Challenges of the food environment, 3) Nutrition and your health, 4) Food culture reform, and 5) Providers' role in creating healthy futures. The Create Healthy Futures module utilizes several educational methods to increase interactivity and engagement, including video footage of content experts, reflection activities, downloadable handouts, and action planning. Each chapter takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. The program is delivered on the Better Kid Care On Demand platform, an asynchronous learning management system that provides professional development training for teachers in all 50 states and 69 countries.

CHF Web-Based Module

CHF is Create Healthy Futures.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Create Healthy Futures Web-Based Module is self-paced and focuses on the following topics: 1) Introduction, 2) Challenges of the food environment, 3) Nutrition and your health, 4) Food culture reform, and 5) Providers' role in creating healthy futures. The Create Healthy Futures module utilizes several educational methods to increase interactivity and engagement, including video footage of content experts, reflection activities, downloadable handouts, and action planning. Each chapter takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. The program is delivered on the Better Kid Care On Demand platform, an asynchronous learning management system that provides professional development training for teachers in all 50 states and 69 countries.

Interventions

Brighter Bites (BB) Produce Distribution

For 16 weeks in the school year, teachers in participating program schools will receive distributions of 8-10 different types of produce items.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Brighter Bites (BB) Nutrition Education

Brighter Bites Nutrition Education will consist of recipes, food preparation and storage ideas, and tips and tools to budget and plan meals. Teachers will be trained in a nutrition education curriculum, which will be implemented in the program schools as part of the BB program.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Weekly Wellness Groups

Peer-facilitators will lead virtual weekly group discussions. Penn State Better Kid Care will train the wellness facilitators.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module

Create Healthy Futures Web-Based Module is self-paced and focuses on the following topics: 1) Introduction, 2) Challenges of the food environment, 3) Nutrition and your health, 4) Food culture reform, and 5) Providers' role in creating healthy futures. The Create Healthy Futures module utilizes several educational methods to increase interactivity and engagement, including video footage of content experts, reflection activities, downloadable handouts, and action planning. Each chapter takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. The program is delivered on the Better Kid Care On Demand platform, an asynchronous learning management system that provides professional development training for teachers in all 50 states and 69 countries.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Employed as a pre-K or kindergarten teaching staff at the participating study schools in the 2022-2023 school year.
• Ability to read English at the 4th grade reading level
• Ability to complete study measures

• Have at least 25 eligible early childhood education (ECE) professionals

Exclusion Criteria

• Have recently (in the past 6 months) or are currently participating in an exercise or weight loss program

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Brighter Bites

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Penn State Better Kid Care

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Texas at Austin

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Vitamix Foundation

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Shreela V Sharma

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Shreela V Sharma, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Locations

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

HSC-SPH-22-0276

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id