Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness Curriculum Promotes Positive Behaviors in 3rd-5th Graders Compared to Control Period

Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness (CHFFF) is a Cornell curriculum for 3rd-6th graders targeting behaviors to prevent obesity and chronic disease risk: fewer sweetened drinks; more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; fewer high-fat and high-sugar foods; and active play. The 6 lessons use experiential learning, food preparation, active games, goal setting, and a family newsletter. It was evaluated in 561 Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) participants in 27 after-school and 28 in-school groups in 5 NY counties in 2015 using a quasi-experimental design, with a delayed-intervention control period prior to CHFFF. Youth completed a self-reported survey 3 times: at initial enrollment, after a 6-week no-intervention control period, and after receiving the 6 weekly CHFFF lessons. Outcome measures included dietary intake scores created based on factor analysis, and related precursors. It was hypothesized that change pre- to post- CHFFF education would be greater than in the same child during the delayed intervention control period. Following CHFFF, youth improved significantly (p<.05) compared to their control period in overall diet quality, vegetable intake, fruit intake, soda/fast food intake and choice, and the frequency with which they read nutrition facts labels, shared about healthy eating with their family, and tried a new food.