Eat My ABCs Project

NCT ID: NCT05780008

Last Updated: 2024-06-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3
• Total Enrollment: 202 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2024-05-10

Brief Summary

Evaluate the effects of the "Eat My ABCs" program on improving Head Start preschoolers' eating behavior and anthropometric properties (BMI, percent body fat).

Detailed Description

The 14-week, community-led, program, aimed to establish lifelong healthy eating habits among vulnerable low-income preschoolers living in rural Michigan, includes three main components: (1) "Eat My ABCs" child curriculum, (2) child fruit/vegetable letters to parents, and (3) program cookbook.

"Eat My ABCs" Child Curriculum. Head Start teachers, along with teacher assistants/aids, will independently teach the age appropriate "Eat My ABCs" curriculum per week, for a total of 14 weeks. The "Eat My ABCs" curriculum follows the alphabet theme and incorporates the five senses into learning (hear fruit and vegetable information, see the color, feel the texture, smell the scent, and taste the flavor). Each week includes two sessions: 1) healthy eating learning on one fruit and one vegetable by incorporating school readiness knowledge on numbers, shapes, colors, and alphabets; and 2) food taste-testing activities to expose children to one fruit, one vegetable, and relevant food items made from the one fruit and one vegetable to teach children the creative ways to make fruit/vegetable healthy and tasty.

Child Letter to Parents. Every week, each child will create one letter, using stickers, regarding the one fruit and one vegetable presented in the program that he/she tasted or wanted to try at home.

Program Cookbook. The investigators have developed a targeted program cookbook for low-income families to overcome their limited cooking skills, busy schedules, and tight family budget. The program cookbook contains all budget-friendly recipes for healthy breakfasts, family meals, quick-fixes, kid-friendly snacks, and occasional sweets; and these recipes are culturally appropriate with a variety of choices such as American, Italian, Mexican, and Asian cuisines. In the cookbook, the investigators also promote slow /pressure-cooking recipes as using a slow or pressure cooker to prepare easy but healthy meals is an effective way to overcome low-income parent barriers of lack of time and cooking skills. In addition, the cookbook contains creative ways of making fruit/vegetable healthy, tasty, and kid-friendly at home.

Conditions

Nutrition, Healthy; Obesity, Childhood

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Eat My ABCs

The experimental arm will receive the 14-week program including three main components: (1) "Eat My ABCs" child curriculum, (2) child fruit/vegetable letters to parents, and (3) program cookbook.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Eat My ABCs

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The "Eat My ABCs" curriculum incorporates senses into learning (hear, see, smell, taste) and includes two sessions/week: 1) healthy eating learning; and 2) mindful food taste-testing activities to expose children to the one fruit, one vegetable, and relevant food items made from the one fruit and one vegetable to teach children the creative ways to make fruit/vegetable healthy and tasty.

Child Letter to Parents. Every week, each child will create one letter, using stickers, regarding the one fruit and one vegetable presented in the program that he/she tasted or wanted to try at home.

Program Cookbook. The investigators have developed a targeted program cookbook for low-income families. The program cookbook contains all budget-friendly recipes for healthy breakfasts, family meals, quick-fixes, kid-friendly snacks, and occasional sweets. In addition, the cookbook contains creative ways of making fruit/vegetable healthy, tasty, and kid-friendly at home.

Interventions

Eat My ABCs

The "Eat My ABCs" curriculum incorporates senses into learning (hear, see, smell, taste) and includes two sessions/week: 1) healthy eating learning; and 2) mindful food taste-testing activities to expose children to the one fruit, one vegetable, and relevant food items made from the one fruit and one vegetable to teach children the creative ways to make fruit/vegetable healthy and tasty.

Child Letter to Parents. Every week, each child will create one letter, using stickers, regarding the one fruit and one vegetable presented in the program that he/she tasted or wanted to try at home.

Program Cookbook. The investigators have developed a targeted program cookbook for low-income families. The program cookbook contains all budget-friendly recipes for healthy breakfasts, family meals, quick-fixes, kid-friendly snacks, and occasional sweets. In addition, the cookbook contains creative ways of making fruit/vegetable healthy, tasty, and kid-friendly at home.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Any preschoolers aged 3-5 years old from the participating daycare classrooms.
• Having parental consent.

Exclusion Criteria

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 3 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 5 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Michigan Health Endowment Fund

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Michigan State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jiying Ling

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency

Alpena, Michigan, United States

Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency

Kalkaska, Michigan, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

STUDY00008403

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id