This study evaluates the effect of a nutrition technical assistance training program for family child care home providers on the food they serve young children in their care and the food environment in their home. Half the providers will be assigned to the nutrition program and the other half will receive a comparison on environmental health.
Early care and education (ECE) providers play a vital role in ensuring that young children have access to nutritious foods. Over 25% of children in ECE (1.2 million children) attend Family Child Care Homes (FCCH). Improvements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) may introduce new barriers for FCCH, which have limited meal preparation capacity. Limited research has examined foods served by FCCH providers, and no group randomized trials have been conducted using a Community-Based Participatory approach in FCCH and including an evaluation of intervention costs. Goals: 1. Determine compliance of menus and meals provided in FCCH with CACFP guidelines. 2. Determine the effectiveness of a community-based Nutrition Technical Assistance intervention to enhance meeting CACFP best-practices. Methods: Conduct a cross-sectional assessment of a random sample of FCCH providers' (n=52) menus and meals served. Foods will be evaluated against the CACFP requirements and best-practices. After the cross-sectional examination, providers will be randomly assigned to a Nutrition Technical Assistance (n=26) or attention comparison intervention (n=26). The intervention is based on theoretical foundations and formative interviews, and will consist of two 60-90-minute visits to the FCCH and one group class lasting approximately 3 hours.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
72
Participating family child care home providers in and around the Oklahoma City (OKC) area will be randomized to either the Nutrition, or an environmental health comparison group. Briefly, the Nutrition Technical Assistance Intervention and comparison group will consist of three encounters with the intervention team: two home-based, 90-minute visits scheduled at the convenience of the family child care home provider and a 3-hour group class session that will be conducted on a weekend. Total contact time with intervention staff will be 6 hours. All participants will receive a toolkit. Providers will complete either intervention over a period of three months.
Participating family child care home providers in and around the OKC area will be randomized to either the Nutrition, or an environmental health intervention that will receive an Integrated Pest Management and Green Cleaning intervention with the same format and visit frequency. Briefly, the Intervention will consist of three encounters with the intervention team: two home-based, 90-minute visits scheduled at the convenience of the family child care home provider and a 3-hour group class session that will be conducted on a weekend. Total contact time with intervention staff will be 6 hours. All participants will receive a toolkit. Providers will complete either intervention over a period of three months.
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Change in Self-reported Nutrition Practices
Providers report the nutrition environment using the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC). Scores averaged across items range 0-4. Higher score indicates more desired/healthier outcome.
Time frame: baseline, post 3-months, post 12-months
Provider Nutrition Knowledge
Self-reported nutrition knowledge using a modified Revised General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire. It was reduced in length to 38 items from 88 items. Scores ranged from 0-38 with a higher score indicating greater nutrition knowledge.
Time frame: baseline, post 3-months, post 12-months
Change in Compliance of Menu With Child and Adult Care Food Program Best Practices
menus are compared to the best practices of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The scale measures the number of elements of the menu which are compliance with the CACFP best practices. The CACFP best Practice compliance tool has a range of 0-25. A higher score is associated with a more desirable outcome and thus higher CACFP best practice compliance.
Time frame: baseline, post 3-months, post 12-months
Change in Children's Dietary Intake of Vegetables at Lunch
Observation of children's dietary intake on 2 unannounced days using the Dietary Observation in Child Care methods and Food Processor for nutrient analysis. Outcome is cups of vegetables consumed.
Time frame: baseline, post 3-months, post 12-months
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