Child Friendly Menu Labelling and Food Choices

NCT02692001 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1000048168
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 163
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Childhood obesity is a major problem in Canada. Children are eating larger portions and have easier access to high-fat, high-sugar foods and drinks. Menu labelling is a promising tool to teach families about healthier choices. The investigators will study the impact of combining child-friendly superhero food labels, fun food names, and a traffic light system on the food choices of children and their parents at SickKids. The investigators will use the hospital inpatient food ordering system (Meal Train) and look at food orders and eating patterns before and after introduction of the revised Meal Train menu. Only the design format of the menu was changed and all menu items remained unchanged. The investigators will also survey the families on their thoughts about the menu. This study will help doctors and dietitians develop strategies to deliver nutrition education to families.

Conditions

Childhood Obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Evaluate patient ordering patterns before and after the introduction of the revised educational Meal Train menu.

  Specifically, the investigators will determine whether the revised Meal Train menu results in: 1. Increased fruit and vegetable ordered 2. A decrease in the number of sweetened beverages and energy-dense nutrient-poor ("red light") foods ordered 3. A higher number of individual daily food orders that meet the Canadian Food Guide (CFG) daily serving recommendations. 4. An increase in healthy foods ordered (green light options)

  1 month

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Relationship between patient demographics and meal orders

  1 month

• Impact of child-friendly menu designs on food orders

  1 month

• Evaluation of meal consumption

  1 month

• Parent/child perceptions of the revised Meal Train menu

  1 month

Study Arms (2)

Current MealTrain menu

NO INTERVENTION

This is the current menu being employed for food ordering in the pediatric inpatient wards.

Intervention MealTrain menu

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention menu included child-friendly labeling (attractive characters, fun food names and traffic light system) to encourage healthier choices.

Other: Intervention MealTrain menu

Interventions

Intervention MealTrain menu OTHER

Nutrition education was incorporated using an interpretive traffic light system menu labeling. Dietitians categorized current menu items as green, yellow and red based on fiber, added sugar, saturated fats, and sodium content. A section entitled "Eat like a superhero" was created to prime children to consider what their potential role models choose, and incorporates descriptive names, suggest sample breakfast, lunch and dinner meals with photographs of portion sizes. Original cartoon female grapes and male broccoli superhero characters were created to employ promotional techniques specifically to promote fruits and vegetable selection for boys and girls.

Intervention MealTrain menu

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 2 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Admitted to a general pediatrics or subspecialty wards
• Fluent in written English

You may not qualify if:

• NPO or receiving parenteral nutrition at any point in their admission
• Specialized diet e.g. celiac, purée, renal diet, or high energy diet
• Those exposed to educational intervention menu in first 2 weeks who remain on ward following the crossover period

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hospital for Sick Children: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Hospital for Sick Children

Toronto, Ontario, M5V1X8, Canada

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Basak S, Steinberg A, Campbell A, Dupuis A, Chen S, Dayan AB, Dello S, Hamilton J. All Aboard Meal Train: Can Child-Friendly Menu Labeling Promote Healthier Choices in Hospitals? J Pediatr. 2019 Jan;204:59-65.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.08.073. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

  PMID: 30274925 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Jill Hamilton, MD

  The Hospital for Sick Children

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Staff Physician , Division of Endocrinology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2016
• First Posted: February 25, 2016
• Study Start: June 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2015
• Study Completion: July 1, 2015
• Last Updated: November 17, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

CA (1)