Nudging Students Towards Healthy Diet and Physical Activity to Prevent Obesity

Summary

The objective of the present study is to estimate the effect of nudging proposals on the students' Body Mass Index, based on changes made in the school environment. This is a factorial randomized community trial, which will be conducted in 18 public schools in the city of Duque de Caxias, RJ.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Nudge

School lunchrooms are the central place of modifications regarding food consumption, where the following strategies will be conducted: 1. arrange the fruits served in the school lunch in a prominent position, in containers of bright and contrasting colors to serve them; 2. Create creative names for food served at meals will be created by the students used on displays at canteen tables, posters on the way of the cafeteria and at a menu outside the cafeteria. To encourage water consumption, footprints that lead to them to water fountains will be painted on the floor. To stimulate physical activity, several sports equipment (basketball hoops, volleyball nets, balls, ropes, shuttlecock and a lot of toys) will be available for use in the school sports court. The courts will be renovated and footsteps painted in order to nudging students to the sports equipment.

BEHAVIORAL

Primary prevention

Classroom-based educational activities based on an earlier study, called PAPPAS, which was developed in the same city and constituted a school-based intervention with the objective of reducing the consumption of sweetened beverages and biscuits and increase the consumption of fruits, vegetables and beans. Activities will be facilitated by trained research assistants. Printed instructions and orientations on the facilitation process will support the assistants' efforts. The activities will require 20 to 30 minutes, and teachers will be encouraged to reiterate the message during their lesson. The goal is to promote ten one-hour sessions of activity for each class.

BEHAVIORAL

Primary prevention + nudge

This group will receive both primary prevention and nudge activities. At school lunchrooms, the fruits served in the school lunch will be put in a prominent position, in containers of bright and contrasting colors to serve them; create creative names for food served at meals will be created by the studentes, footprints that lead to them to water fountains will be painted on the floor. Several sports equipment (basketball hoops, volleyball nets, balls, ropes, shuttlecock and a lot of toys) will be available for use in the schools sport court. Also, classroom-based educational activities based on an earlier study, called PAPPAS, will be held. The activities will require 20 to 30 minutes, and teachers will be encouraged to reiterate the message during their lesson. The goal is to promote ten one-hour sessions of activity for each class.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Copenhagen

  collaborator OTHER

• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

  collaborator OTHER

• Rio de Janeiro State University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

9 Years

Max Age

15 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-07-31

Primary Completion

2026-07-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations