Nurturing Healthy Teachers

NCT05542537 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HSC-SPH-22-0276
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 379
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this trial is to compare the impact of a fruit and vegetable access plus nutrition education intervention to a nutrition education-only control on the health, well-being, and food security of early care and education (ECE) professionals. The intervention, called Nurturing Healthy Teachers, combines strategies from two evidence-based programs - Create Healthy Futures (CHF) and Brighter Bites (BB).

Conditions

Nutrition, Healthy; Mental Health Wellness 1; Diabetes Mellitus Risk; Obesity

Keywords

food insecurity; nutrition; healthy eating; wellness; teachers

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Household Food Insecurity as assessed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture self-report food insecurity survey

  Household Food insecurity will be measured on an electronically administered using the 10-item self-report previously validated U.S. Department of Agriculture food insecurity survey. The survey will measure food insecurity over the past 30 days. The total score is the sum of affirmative responses to the 10 questions, with a total score range of 0-10. Scores indicate the following about extent of food insecurity: * score of zero-High food security * score of 1-2-Marginal food security * score of 3-5-Low food security * score of 6-10-Very low food security

  baseline

• Household Food Insecurity as assessed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture self-report food insecurity measure

  Household Food insecurity will be measured on an electronically administered using the 10-item self-report previously validated U.S. Department of Agriculture food insecurity survey. The survey will measure food insecurity over the past 30 days. The total score is the sum of affirmative responses to the 10 questions, with a total score range of 0-10. Scores indicate the following about extent of food insecurity: * score of zero-High food security * score of 1-2-Marginal food security * score of 3-5-Low food security * score of 6-10-Very low food security

  4 months

• Household Food Insecurity as assessed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture self-report food insecurity measure

  Household Food insecurity will be measured on an electronically administered using the 10-item self-report previously validated U.S. Department of Agriculture food insecurity survey. The survey will measure food insecurity over the past 30 days. The total score is the sum of affirmative responses to the 10 questions, with a total score range of 0-10. Scores indicate the following about extent of food insecurity: * score of zero-High food security * score of 1-2-Marginal food security * score of 3-5-Low food security * score of 6-10-Very low food security

  9 months

• Household Food Insecurity as assessed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture self-report food insecurity measure

  Household Food insecurity will be measured on an electronically administered using the 10-item self-report previously validated U.S. Department of Agriculture food insecurity survey. The survey will measure food insecurity over the past 30 days. The total score is the sum of affirmative responses to the 10 questions, with a total score range of 0-10. Scores indicate the following about extent of food insecurity: * score of zero-High food security * score of 1-2-Marginal food security * score of 3-5-Low food security * score of 6-10-Very low food security

  14 months

Secondary Outcomes (28)

• Dietary intake as assessed by self-report survey

  baseline

• Dietary intake as assessed by self-report survey

  9 months

• Anxiety as assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) survey

  baseline

• Anxiety as assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) survey

  9 months

• Anxiety as assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) survey

  14 months

Study Arms (2)

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module

EXPERIMENTAL

BB is Brighter Bites. CHF is Create Healthy Futures.

Behavioral: Brighter Bites (BB) Produce Distribution; Behavioral: Brighter Bites (BB) Nutrition Education; Behavioral: Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Weekly Wellness Groups; Behavioral: Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module

CHF Web-Based Module

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

CHF is Create Healthy Futures.

Behavioral: Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module

Interventions

Brighter Bites (BB) Produce Distribution BEHAVIORAL

For 16 weeks in the school year, teachers in participating program schools will receive distributions of 8-10 different types of produce items.

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module

Brighter Bites (BB) Nutrition Education BEHAVIORAL

Brighter Bites Nutrition Education will consist of recipes, food preparation and storage ideas, and tips and tools to budget and plan meals. Teachers will be trained in a nutrition education curriculum, which will be implemented in the program schools as part of the BB program.

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Weekly Wellness Groups BEHAVIORAL

Peer-facilitators will lead virtual weekly group discussions. Penn State Better Kid Care will train the wellness facilitators.

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module

Create Healthy Futures (CHF) Web-Based Module BEHAVIORAL

Create Healthy Futures Web-Based Module is self-paced and focuses on the following topics: 1) Introduction, 2) Challenges of the food environment, 3) Nutrition and your health, 4) Food culture reform, and 5) Providers' role in creating healthy futures. The Create Healthy Futures module utilizes several educational methods to increase interactivity and engagement, including video footage of content experts, reflection activities, downloadable handouts, and action planning. Each chapter takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. The program is delivered on the Better Kid Care On Demand platform, an asynchronous learning management system that provides professional development training for teachers in all 50 states and 69 countries.

BB Produce Distribution + BB Nutrition Education + CHF Weekly Wellness Groups + CHF Web-Based Module; CHF Web-Based Module

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Employed as a pre-K or kindergarten teaching staff at the participating study schools in the 2022-2023 school year.
• Ability to read English at the 4th grade reading level
• Ability to complete study measures

You may not qualify if:

• Have recently (in the past 6 months) or are currently participating in an exercise or weight loss program
• Have at least 25 eligible early childhood education (ECE) professionals

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston: lead
• Brighter Bites: collaborator
• Penn State Better Kid Care: collaborator
• University of Texas at Austin: collaborator
• Vitamix Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Interventions

Nutrition Assessment

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Epidemiologic Measurements; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Shreela V Sharma, PhD

  The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 12, 2022
• First Posted: September 15, 2022
• Study Start: November 4, 2022
• Primary Completion: May 20, 2024
• Study Completion: May 20, 2024
• Last Updated: July 9, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (1)