INTRODUCTION: Childhood overweight and obesity continue to escalate both domestically and worldwide. Key behaviors have been identified to prevent childhood overweight and obesity. However, avenues for implementing programs aimed at teaching these behaviors have been limited. Fuel for Learning is an eight week theory based obesity and stress prevention program on DVD that meets selected third grade Ohio educational standards. FUEL FOR LEARNING was designed for ease of use in the classroom during the school day.
AIM: The aim of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of the nutrition component of FUEL FOR LEARNING; by examining the impact of the program on children’s dietary and psychosocial behaviors.
METHODS: A quasi experimental wait-list control design was used to conduct this pilot study. Participants included children from six third grade classrooms (n=70 treatment, n=67 control) in Columbus, Ohio. Demographic information was collected pre-intervention. Dietary and psychosocial behaviors were evaluated pre-intervention and post-intervention. The Child Modified Food Behavior Checklist was used to evaluate changes in children’s dietary behaviors. Behavior Capabilities, Self-Efficacy and Stages of Change questionnaires were used to evaluate changes in psychosocial behaviors. Overall change scores (post-test – pre-test) for each variable were calculated and compared to evaluate the difference between the treatment and control groups. For variables deemed statistically significant further analysis was done to determine the source of variability.
RESULTS: Statistically significant changes were seen in overall dietary behavior (p=0.002) and specific dietary behaviors including: vegetable consumption (p=0.050) and use of the food label (p=0.000). Statistically significant changes were also seen in psychosocial variables including Behavioral Capabilities (p=0.000), specifically fruit (p=0.004), vegetable (p=0.000), food label reading (p=0.002) and milk (p=0.000), and Self-Efficacy (p=0.043).
DISCUSSION: FUEL FOR LEARNING, a theory based obesity and stress prevention program delivered during the school day using a DVD format, appears effective in changing psychosocial and dietary behaviors.