Healthy Eating Index
Conditions
Brief summary
Working with independently owned restaurants, a common source of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods in predominantly minority, low-income urban neighborhoods, has the potential to improve dietary quality, and contribute to cancer prevention. This study uses systems science approaches to improve access to healthier foods in independently owned restaurants by: 1) testing the effects of a novel intervention called FRESH (Focus on Restaurant Engagement to Strengthen Health) on dietary quality, health indicators and other outcomes in African American and Latin communities, and 2) developing a system dynamics model to allow stakeholders to virtually test FRESH strategies in their own communities. The resulting restaurant intervention simulation model offers potential cost savings from avoided trial-and-error testing, and will support community-based cancer prevention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMultilevel restaurant intervention to improve the food environment
FRESH is a restaurant-based intervention in low-income neighborhoods in Baltimore, MD and the Washington, District of Columbia metro area that aims to improve the healthy prepared-food environment for consumers, informed by community members and other stakeholders. FRESH intervention components include food preparation, food access and procurement, and consumer nutrition environment. Activities will take place over 16 months, and include training restaurant chefs to use healthier cooking methods, partnering with restaurant suppliers to offer healthier ingredients, and offering point-of-purchase promotions to educate customers on the healthier promoted food options. Intervention staff will form strong relationships with restaurant owners and chefs via in-person visits at least twice a month. Data from the intervention trial will inform the development of a system dynamics simulation model that will allow stakeholders to test new policy ideas prior to implementation.
Sponsors
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
George Washington University
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adult (18-75 years) * Regular restaurant customer (e.g., visits the specified restaurant at least 1x/week) * Live in a household of at least 2 persons (criterion intended to provide a more stable sample, and to reduce loss to follow-up) * Current resident of study neighborhood
Exclusion criteria
* Anticipate moving out of Baltimore or District of Columbia metropolitan area in the next 18 months * Pregnant (due to changes in diet, weight and body composition)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Customer Dietary Quality | 1 hour, 24 months apart | Regular customer diet quality in the last 30 days will be assessed using the 2014 semi-quantitative Block Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The FFQ provides the data that allows for calculating the Healthy Eating Index. We will use the 2015 index rules. Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 Score and individual component scores will be calculated from the FFQ according to the HEI-2015 guidelines to assess changes in overall diet quality and changes within each component. The range of scores for the Healthy Eating Index 2015 is 0-100. A higher score is considered better and represents meeting more of the recommended dietary guidelines. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTJoel Gittlesohn, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJoel Gittlesohn, PhD
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Outcome results
None listed