Using Reinforcement Schedules to Increase Fruit&Vegetable Intake, Reduce Waste, and Increase School Lunch Participation

NCT05633251 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 12335 & 12324
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,626
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Using small monetary rewards to reinforce healthy behaviors, such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables (F\&V), the investigators tested fixed and variable reinforcement schedules in three middle schools. The investigators measured carotenoid levels, as a biomarker of F\&V intake, and F\&V waste over the intervention time frame. The investigators also tracked the school lunch participation rates over time.

Conditions

Behavioral Changes; Psychology, Social; Nutrition

Keywords

fruit, vegetable, food waste

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Change in food waste

  Daily fruit, vegetable, and other food waste (in lbs)

  24 weeks

• Change in fruit and vegetable intake

  As measured by carotenoid level, a biomarker for total fruit and vegetable intake; measured before and after the intervention

  12 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• School lunch participation rates

  32 weeks

Study Arms (3)

School 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Variable (non-random) interval; Behavioral: Control

School 2

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Variable (random) interval; Behavioral: Control

School 3

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Variable (random) interval; Behavioral: Variable (random) interval with table tents

Interventions

Variable (random) interval BEHAVIORAL

Using Variable (Random) Interval Reinforcement Schedules to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Reduce Fruit and Vegetable Waste, and Increase School Lunch Participation

School 2; School 3

Variable (non-random) interval BEHAVIORAL

Using Variable (Non-random) Interval Reinforcement Schedules to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Reduce Fruit and Vegetable Waste, and Increase School Lunch Participation

School 1

Variable (random) interval with table tents BEHAVIORAL

Using Variable (Random) Interval Reinforcement Schedules and Table Tents with Health-related Messages to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Reduce Fruit and Vegetable Waste, and Increase School Lunch Participation

School 3

Control BEHAVIORAL

No intervention

School 1; School 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• students attending three participating middle schools (Ysleta Independent School District)

You may not qualify if:

• N/A

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New Mexico State University: lead
• Paso del Norte Health Foundation: collaborator
• University of Texas: collaborator
• Brigham Young University: collaborator
• Ysleta Independent School District, El Paso: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Ysleta Independent School District

El Paso, Texas, 79925, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Random Allocation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Research Design; Methods; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Officials

• Mihai Niculescu, PhD

  New Mexico State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants were not aware of the purpose of the intervention.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Marketing

Model Details: Number of participants below is best estimate of students exposed to the intervention based on school lunch participation rates.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 27, 2020
• First Posted: December 1, 2022
• Study Start: September 14, 2015
• Primary Completion: May 6, 2016
• Study Completion: May 6, 2016
• Last Updated: December 1, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)