Eat Healthy Grow Healthy Program to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

NCT07493954 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: EatGrow-RCT-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 72
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The Eat Healthy, Grow Healthy (EatGrow) program is a family-based, fully virtual nutrition education intervention designed to improve fruit and vegetable intake among preschool-aged children. Parents and their children participate together in interactive online lessons over eight weeks, including parent-child cooking, taste-testing, and engaging nutrition education. Recruitment was conducted via schools, but schools are not involved in delivering the program. The study measures changes in children's fruit and vegetable intake and willingness to try new foods, as well as parental nutrition literacy, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Weekly tasks are included for engagement.

Conditions

Childhood Obesity

Keywords

preschool children; nutrition intervention; obesity prevention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Child fruit and vegetable intake

  Measured using parent-completed surveys assessing the frequency and quantity of fruit and vegetable intake among preschool-aged children.

  Baseline to 8 weeks (post-intervention)

• Child willingness to try new fruits and vegetables

  Measured using parent-completed surveys assessing food neophobia and willingness to try a variety of fruits and vegetables.

  Baseline to 8 weeks (post-intervention)

• Parental nutrition literacy, attitudes, and self-efficacy

  Measured using parent-reported surveys assessing changes in nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and confidence in incorporating fruits and vegetables into daily meals.

  Baseline to 8 weeks (post-intervention)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receive the EatGrow intervention: 8 weeks of fully virtual, family-based nutrition education including parent-child cooking, taste-testing, and interactive lessons.

Behavioral: EatGrow Intervention

Delayed control group

OTHER

Participants have delayed access to the EatGrow intervention after post-intervention data collection.

Behavioral: Delayed access

Interventions

Delayed access BEHAVIORAL

Control group participants receive delayed access to the EatGrow intervention after post-intervention data collection. No nutrition lessons or tasks are provided during the study period.

Delayed control group

EatGrow Intervention BEHAVIORAL

8-week fully virtual, family-based nutrition education program for parents and preschool-aged children, including parent-child cooking, taste-testing, and interactive nutrition education lessons. Delivered entirely online to promote fruit and vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Parent or primary caregiver of a preschool-aged child (3 to 5 years old) enrolled at one of the participating schools.
• Responsible for the home food environment, including meal preparation.
• Access to a stable internet connection and an internet-enabled device (e.g., "smartphone," tablet, or computer).
• Willingness to participate in the full intervention and complete weekly tasks.
• Ability and willingness to purchase ingredients for weekly virtual cooking sessions.
• Ability to read, speak, and understand English.

You may not qualify if:

• Families unable or unwilling to purchase ingredients for weekly recipes.
• Children or parents/caregivers with known allergies to fruits and/or vegetables.
• Families without reliable internet access.
• Parents/caregivers who are unable to read, speak, or understand English.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Texas Woman's University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas, 76204, United States

Location

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

• Kathleen E Davis, PhD, RDN, LD

  Texas Woman's University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: This is an open-label study. No participants, caregivers, investigators, or outcome assessors are masked
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Participants are assigned to one of two groups: the EatGrow intervention group or a delayed control group. The intervention group receives eight weeks of fully virtual, family-based nutrition education including parent-child cooking, taste-testing, and interactive lessons, while the control group has access to the intervention after post-intervention data collection.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 19, 2026
• First Posted: March 27, 2026
• Study Start: January 13, 2026
• Primary Completion: April 10, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Last Updated: April 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)