Adaptive Implementation to Optimize Delivery of Obesity Prevention Practices in Early Care and Education Settings

Description

"Together, We Inspire Smart Eating" (WISE) is an intervention that improves children's diets in ECE. WISE includes 4 key evidence-based practices (EBPs): (1) hands-on exposures to fruits and vegetables, (2) role modeling by educators, (3) positive feeding practices, and (4) a mascot associated with fruits and vegetables. Standard implementation approaches to WISE result in suboptimal implementation of WISE EBPs. Additional implementation strategies are needed to increase adoption and fidelity to EBPs. To date, most studies have employed an "all-or-nothing" approach, comparing multifaceted strategies to control groups without implementation support. Thus, there is an urgent need for optimized strategies that tailor implementation support intensity to the unique challenges and limited resources of the ECE context. The overall objectives of this application are to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an adaptive implementation approach to improve adoption of the EBPs of WISE while also examining implementation mechanisms. The central hypothesis is that the addition of high-intensity strategies at sites that do not respond to low-intensity strategies will improve implementation and health outcomes.

Conditions

Obesity, Childhood, Nutrition Aspect of Cancer

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

"Together, We Inspire Smart Eating" (WISE) is an intervention that improves children's diets in ECE. WISE includes 4 key evidence-based practices (EBPs): (1) hands-on exposures to fruits and vegetables, (2) role modeling by educators, (3) positive feeding practices, and (4) a mascot associated with fruits and vegetables. Standard implementation approaches to WISE result in suboptimal implementation of WISE EBPs. Additional implementation strategies are needed to increase adoption and fidelity to EBPs. To date, most studies have employed an "all-or-nothing" approach, comparing multifaceted strategies to control groups without implementation support. Thus, there is an urgent need for optimized strategies that tailor implementation support intensity to the unique challenges and limited resources of the ECE context. The overall objectives of this application are to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an adaptive implementation approach to improve adoption of the EBPs of WISE while also examining implementation mechanisms. The central hypothesis is that the addition of high-intensity strategies at sites that do not respond to low-intensity strategies will improve implementation and health outcomes.

Testing an Adaptive Implementation Strategy to Optimize Delivery of Obesity Prevention Practices in Early Care and Education Settings

Adaptive Implementation to Optimize Delivery of Obesity Prevention Practices in Early Care and Education Settings

Condition
Obesity, Childhood
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Little Rock

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Recruited teachers at participating early care and education site in the following 4 geographic regions: (1) Central Arkansas, (2) Arkansas River Valley, (3) North, Central Louisiana, and (4) Southeast Louisiana.
  • * Participation in Child and Adult Care Food Program in the states' quality rating system
  • * Serving at least 15 children age 3 to 5
  • * Agreeing to participate in implementation activities and data collection in all 3- to 5-year-old classrooms
  • * Having no classrooms currently using WISE.
  • * Having classrooms currently using WISE.

Ages Eligible for Study

3 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of Arkansas,

Taren M Swindle, Ph.D., PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Arkansas

Study Record Dates

2025-12-30