Health Communication
Conditions
Keywords
child, communication, diet, food, health communication, nutrition, parents, primary schools, school age population, school health
Brief summary
The central hypothesis of The GREEN Project Lunch Box Study is that a school-based communication campaign that combines healthy eating and eco-friendly messages will improve the quality of foods that children bring from home to school more than a healthy eating campaign alone and compared to a control/delayed intervention condition at the end of one school year.
Detailed description
The proposed intervention seeks to improve the quality of foods brought to school from home by taking advantage of a natural synergy between healthy eating and eco-friendly behaviors to increase motivation to adopt healthy eating behaviors. The project involves the design, implementation and evaluation of a novel, school based communications campaign to simultaneously improve the nutrition quality and eco-friendliness of foods that elementary school children bring from home to school. The intervention is a theory-based multi-channel communications campaign based on qualitative research with the target population: children in grades three and four in public schools in Eastern Massachusetts and their caregivers. Schools were randomized to one of three conditions: (1) a campaign that includes healthy eating and eco-friendly messages; (2) a campaign that includes healthy eating messages only; and (3) a delayed healthy eating eco-friendly campaign after serving as a control group. Foods brought from home and the packaging associated with those foods will be assessed at baseline and at the end of the school year using a photographic technique. The primary outcome of interest is change in the number of servings of fruits and vegetables. Secondary outcomes will include changes in the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages; changes in processed, energy-dense foods; and changes in sugar sweetened beverages brought from home. We will also be able to assess changes in trash associated with foods brought from home.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHealthy Eating + Eco-Friendly Campaign
Participants receive a 6-month school-based campaign that includes: * A 22-lesson classroom curriculum * Homework activities that involve the family * Monthly parent newsletters * A food shopping and packing guide for parents * Food demonstrations * A poster contest * School wide announcements
BEHAVIORALHealthy Eating Campaign
Participants receive a 6-month school-based campaign that includes: * A 22-lesson classroom curriculum * Homework activities that involve the family * Monthly parent newsletters * A food shopping and packing guide for parents * Food demonstrations * A poster contest * School wide announcements
Sponsors
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Tufts University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
CHILD PARTICIPANTS Inclusion Criteria: * 3rd or 4th grade student in participating classroom * Brings food from home to school at least 3 days per week
Exclusion criteria
* Not a 3rd or 4th grade student * Not enrolled in a participating classroom * Does not bring food from home to school at least three days per week PARENT/CARETAKER PARTICIPANTS Inclusion Criteria: * Child is a 3rd or 4th grade student in participating classroom * Child brings food from home to school at least 3 days per week
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Changes in the quantity of fruit and vegetables brought from home to school | 6 months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Changes in the quantity of sugar-sweetened beverages brought from home to school | 6 months |
| Changes in the quantity of processed, energy-dense foods brought from home to school | 6 months |
| Changes in trash weight associated with foods brought from home to school | 6 months |
Outcome results
None listed