Sustainability Via Active Garden Education

NCT03261492 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 5U01MD010667
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 712
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of SAGE is to determine if a garden-based curriculum can increase physical activity and improve nutrition in young children at early care and education centers (ECEC) throughout Phoenix

Conditions

Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change physical activity; sedentary time

  Assessed by ActiGraph accelerometers

  Four assessment periods: baseline, 4 months, 8 months weeks, and 12 months

• fruit and vegetable consumption

  24 hr diet recalls

  Four assessment periods: baseline, 4 months, 8 months weeks, and 12 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Impact on parenting practices in physical activity (PA)

  Four assessment periods: baseline, 4 months, 8 months weeks, and 12 months

• Impact on improved home fruit and vegetable availability

  Four assessment periods: baseline, 4 months, 8 months weeks, and 12 months

• Impact on parenting practices in fruits and vegetables

  Four assessment periods: baseline, 4 months, 8 months weeks, and 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Physical Activity

EXPERIMENTAL

SAGE curriculum is a garden-based PA and nutrition educational program and presently includes 12 lessons that can be delivered once or twice a week. The SAGE garden-based curriculum includes active games and discussion as well as activities that include watering the ECEC garden.

Behavioral: Physical Activity

Child Safety Attention Comparison

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The goal of this comparison group is to provide centers with an engaging, useful, carefully sequenced, and easy-to-deliver curriculum so that randomization to this group does not influence attrition or reach and serves as a placebo (unlikely to affect outcomes of interest. The curriculum will include concepts and lessons for educating young children on fire, pedestrian, water, household, neighborhood and playground safety. The curriculum includes handouts, coloring sheets, comic books, games, and songs that can be implemented with minimal training and preparation.

Behavioral: Child Safety Attention Comparison

Interventions

Physical Activity BEHAVIORAL

SAGE curriculum is a garden-based PA and nutrition educational program for early care and education centers.

Also known as: SAGE Garden Based Curriculum

Physical Activity

Child Safety Attention Comparison BEHAVIORAL

The goal of this comparison group is to provide centers with an engaging, useful, carefully sequenced, and easy-to-deliver curriculum so that randomization to this group does not influence attrition or reach and serves as a placebo (unlikely to affect outcomes of interest).

Child Safety Attention Comparison

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Census tracts with \>30% Hispanic-Latino population
• ECEC must be licensed and enroll at least 35 children aged 3-4 years old
• Space for garden install

You may not qualify if:

• Not participating in CACFP
• No space for a garden
• Less than 35 children aged 3-5 years old enrolled

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Arizona State University: lead
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Arizona State University

Phoenix, Arizona, 85004, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• de Mello GT, Szeszulski J, O'Connor T, Lorenzo E, Hill JL, Lee RE. Effects of Sustainability via Active Garden Education on preschool-aged children's locomotor skills. Transl Behav Med. 2025 Jan 16;15(1):ibaf052. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibaf052.

  PMID: 41047236 DERIVED

• Szeszulski J, Lorenzo E, Todd M, O'Connor TM, Hill J, Shaibi GQ, Vega-Lopez S, Buman MP, Hooker SP, Lee RE. Early Care and Education Center Environmental Factors Associated with Product- and Process-Based Locomotor Outcomes in Preschool-Age Children. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 15;19(4):2208. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042208.

  PMID: 35206392 DERIVED

• Szeszulski J, Lorenzo E, O'Connor T, Hill JL, Shaibi GQ, Buman MP, Vega-Lopez S, Hooker SP, Lee RE. Exploring Correlates of Preschool-Aged Children's Locomotor Skills: Individual and Parent Demographics and Home Environment. Percept Mot Skills. 2021 Apr;128(2):649-671. doi: 10.1177/0031512520980938. Epub 2020 Dec 20.

  PMID: 33342342 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Rebecca E Lee, PhD

  Arizona State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: The investigators will identify, recruit, and randomize ECEC to the SAGE intervention or a child safety attention comparison. After 16 weeks, intervention and comparison will cross over, allowing us to continue to investigate longitudinal and carry over effects. One ECEC of each pair will be randomized to the SAGE intervention and the other to the child safety attention comparison. ECEC will cross over and receive the treatment that they did not receive to ensure that all ECEC receive both curriculums.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2017
• First Posted: August 25, 2017
• Study Start: January 30, 2017
• Primary Completion: July 30, 2020
• Study Completion: December 31, 2021
• Last Updated: April 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)