ERIC Number: EJ1270252
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Nov
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nutrition and Dietary Intervention for Early Care and Education Providers
Chuang, Ru-Jye; Cox, Jill N.; Mincemoyer, Claudia C.; Sharma, Shreela V.
Journal of School Health, v90 n11 p859-868 Nov 2020
Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary impact of the Create Healthy Futures program, a self-paced, 6-lesson, web-based intervention on promoting healthy eating for Early Care and Education (ECE) providers, using a group-randomized controlled trial design with 3 repeated measurements. Methods: Nine ECE facilities in Ohio were recruited and randomly assigned to intervention (N = 4) and comparison (N = 5). The 111 participants are mostly female (97.3%), college graduated (59.5%), and overweight or obese (75.2%). Nutrition-related psychosocial and environmental factors and individual behaviors were assessed at baseline, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. We used mixed model analyses to compare changes between time points, controlling for ethnicity, age, and center effect, and calculated effect size to assess the magnitude of change. Results: We observed significant between-group changes in improving nutrition knowledge (p = 0.003), increasing perceived support for staff wellness (p = 0.038), and reducing perceived barriers to eating fruits and vegetables (p = 0.004) and promoting nutrition in classrooms (p = 0.038), with small to medium effect sizes. The study demonstrated high feasibility with 94.1% enrollment rate, 87.5% intervention completion rate, and 83.8% retention rate. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrated high feasibility and acceptability of nutrition intervention programs using an online platform among ECE providers.
Descriptors: Health Promotion, Eating Habits, Nutrition, Early Childhood Education, Child Care, Intervention, Early Childhood Teachers, Child Caregivers, Individual Characteristics, Knowledge Level, Wellness, Barriers, Food, Nutrition Instruction, Online Courses, Web Based Instruction
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A