The Effect of Three Different Dietary Messages on Dietary Intake and Health in Families

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Obesity
• Interventions: Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables and Decrease Snack Foods; Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables; Behavioral: Decrease Snack Foods

• Registration Number: NCT01510678
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Brief Summary

Examine the effect of three different dietary messages on dietary intake and the health of parents and their children.

Detailed Description

The goal of this pilot study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining three dietary messages: increase fruits and vegetables \[INCREASE\], decrease energy-dense, non-nutrient dense snack foods \[DECREASE\], or increase fruits and vegetables plus decrease snack foods \[INCREASE+DECREASE\], within a 6-month, family-based obesity prevention intervention. Each condition will also focus on increasing family evening meals and physical activity. Primary hypotheses are: 1) INCREASE + DECREASE will consume a greater ratio of F\&Vs:SFs than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

2)INCREASE + DECREASE will consume less energy than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-01
• Study First Submitted: 2012-01-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2012-01-11
• Study First Posted: 2012-01-16
• Primary Completion: 2018-12-31
• Status Verified: 2025-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-04-01
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-03
• Study Completion: 2025-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 45

Inclusion Criteria

• Children between ages 6-12 years
• BMI percentile > 5th and < 85th percentile for age and sex
• Have a parent aged > 21 years with a BMI > 25
• Have an overweight/obese parent willing to attend intervention meetings
• Parent and child speak and read English
• Not moving out of the metropolitan area during the course of the investigation

Exclusion Criteria

• Reporting that the child and parent planning to participate have dietary restrictions related to fruit and vegetable intake
• Physical activity restrictions
• A parent reporting that she is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Increase + Decrease Condition	Increase Fruits and Vegetables and Decrease Snack Foods	Families will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables and decrease snack foods.
Increase Condition	Increase Fruits and Vegetables	A parent and child will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables. Children will be encouraged to consume 1 cup/day and 1.5 cups/day of whole fruit, and 1.5 cups/day and 2 cups/day of vegetables for children aged 6 to 8 years and 9 to 12 years, respectively. Children will gradually work towards these goals. Parents will also work towards F\&V goals, with 2 cups/day of whole fruit and 2.5 cups/day of vegetables.
Decrease Condition	Decrease Snack Foods	In the Decrease Snack Foods condition participants will reduce intake of SFs (i.e., candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, chips, nuts) to \< 3 servings/week (for children aged 6 to 12 years, the solid fats and added sugar energy limit is 840 kcals/week and the DECREASE goal will help with meeting this limit). Children and parents will gradually work towards meeting these goals and self-monitor these behaviors.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Dietary intake	baseline and 6 months	Changes in F\&Vs, SFs, energy density, overall energy, and percent energy from fat intake, will be assessed by a three-day food record (two weekdays, one weekend day).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in Eating Pathology	baseline and 6 months	Kids eating disorder survey and eating in the absence of hunger survey
Change in Physical Activity	baseline and 6 months	Previous day physical activity recall- looks at 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. For parents and children to complete
Change in Parent Feeding Styles	baseline and 6 months	Includes 7 topics: perceived responsibility, perceived parent weight, perceived child weight, concern about child weight, restriction, pressure to eat, and monitoring.
Change in Obesogenic Home Food Availability	baseline and 6 months	self-report on foods that are available in the home.
Change in Anthropometrics	baseline and 6 months	child and parent height, weight, BMI, and z-BMI
Change in Parenting Styles	baseline and 6 months	Assesses practices associated with different parenting styles

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

The University of Tennessee; 🇺🇸 Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory, University of Tennessee; 🇺🇸 Knoxville, Tennessee, United States