Child Health Initiative for Lifelong Eating and Exercise (CHILE)

Summary

Child Health Initiative for Lifelong Eating and Exercise (CHILE) is a trans-community multidisciplinary site-specific intervention and evaluation plan for a Head Start and family-based culturally and developmentally appropriate intervention. The primary goals are to increase physical activity and improve dietary intake through increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain and decrease consumption of sweetened drinks and high-fat foods,decrease television and other screen time, and decrease obesity in three to five year old Hispanic and American Indian children enrolled in Head Start programs in rural New Mexico. The trans-community intervention includes: A classroom curriculum for children; an in-service training program for Head Start teachers and educational aides; a school food service component; a family intervention; a community leader/local health care provider component; and a grocery store component.

Participants include 16 Head Start programs serving Hispanic and Native American children and families from underserved communities in rural New Mexico. This is a randomized trial with an Intervention Condition and Control Condition. One cohort of three-year old Head Start students will be followed and measured for two years. During the two years in Head Start those children, their teachers, and families enrolled in the Intervention Condition will receive a program of activities to modify their dietary, physical activity, and screen viewing behaviors. Also addressed are the Head Start and community environments and policies, local grocery stores, and health care providers.

CHILE uses an ecological framework including social cognitive theory, intervention mapping, environmental and policy changes, developmental theory, and sound educational practices. The approach includes in from the community to ensure acceptability, cultural appropriateness, feasibility, sustainability, and later transferability to similar communities.

The primary outcome measures include changes in physical activity levels, dietary fiber intake, dietary fat intake, intake of sugared drinks, television viewing and other screen time, in BMI. Secondary measures include changes in the Head Start and community environments and policies related to physical activity, school food service, school snacks, and availability of healthful options. We will also examine the role of community leaders, especially health care providers, in raising awareness and creating a supportive and sustainable environment for the prevention of obesity.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

classroom curriculum

classroom curriculum for 3 \& 4 year old children includes activities to increase intake of fruits, vegetables, \& whole grains; increase physical activity; decrease intake of fats and sugared drinks; and decrease screen time following monthly learning modules. Teachers are trained to carry out the classroom curriculum.

BEHAVIORAL

In-service training for Head Start teachers/aides

Teachers and teacher aides are trained quarterly by certified trainers and receive a certificate for participating in the training. Topics include the content as well as developmental concepts.

BEHAVIORAL

Training for Head Start food service

Food service workers are trained (quarterly) to modify food ordering, food preparation, and food serving to match the aims of the study

BEHAVIORAL

Family intervention component

Families receive the CHILE intervention quarterly at Family Events. These include family activities to increase intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, decrease intake of fats and sugared drinks, increase of physical activity and decrease screen time. Parenting skills are also included.

BEHAVIORAL

Food source

The grocery store component includes field trips, self labeling, and taste testing of promoted foods.

BEHAVIORAL

Health care providers

The health care provider component includes the health care providers presenting at the Family Events and reinforcing the CHILE intervention message in the practice setting when talking with families of head start children.

BEHAVIORAL

CHILE Head Start Intervention

There are six components of this transcommunity social-ecological intervention including a classroom curriculum, health care provider component, family component, training of Head Start teachers/aides, training of food service staff and grocery store component.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  collaborator NIH

• University of New Mexico

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Sally M Davis, Ph.D. · University of New Mexico

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

5 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2006-03-31

Primary Completion

2010-06-30

Completion

2010-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations