Feasibility of conducting a randomized trial to promote healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula

We sought to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a preschool/kindergarten curriculum intervention designed to increase 4-year-old children's knowledge of healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy choic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early child development and care 2016-11, Vol.186 (11), p.1752-1764
Main Authors: Morris, Heather, Skouteris, Helen, Edwards, Susan, Rutherford, Leonie Margaret, Cutter-Mackenzie, Amy, O'Connor, Amanda, Mantilla, Ana, Huang, Terry TK, Lording, Kate Marion, Williams-Smith, Janet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
4-year-old children
Childhood
Children & youth
Comparative Analysis
Consumption
Control Groups
Correlation
Curricula
Curriculum intervention
Early Childhood Education
Early intervention
Eating Habits
Efficacy
Elementary School Curriculum
Feasibility
Feasibility Studies
Food
Foreign Countries
healthy eating
Healthy food
Intervention
Kindergarten
Physical Activities
pilot feasibility evaluation
Pilot Projects
Preschool Children
Preschool Curriculum
Preschool Teachers
Questionnaires
Recruitment
Statistical Analysis
Sustainability
sustainability awareness
Toys
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Summary:We sought to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a preschool/kindergarten curriculum intervention designed to increase 4-year-old children's knowledge of healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy choices. Ninety intervention and 65 control parent/child dyads were recruited. We assessed the study feasibility by examining recruitment and participation, completion of data collection, realization of the intervention and early childhood educators' experiences of implementing the study protocol; our findings suggest the intervention was feasible to deliver. In addition, children's sustainability awareness of non-compostable and recyclable items increased. Children in the intervention group significantly reduced their sugary drink consumption and increased their vegetable intake at follow-up compared to control. We conclude with recommendations for revisions to the child interview and parent questionnaire delivery to ensure the roll out of the randomized trial is conducted efficiently and rigorously.
ISSN:0300-4430
1476-8275
DOI:10.1080/03004430.2015.1131158