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Family-Centred Nutrition Intervention for Young Children: A Community Approach

This exploratory study, funded by the Food Standards Agency, investigates a family-centred nutrition intervention in children’s centres across Cornwall and Islington. Through consultations, focus groups, and surveys, we identified a need for flexible community outreach that emphasizes practical skills like cooking and budgeting. A four-week interactive course was designed for families, focusing on healthy eating and food preparation. The study recruited 394 families, evaluating children's fruit and vegetable consumption as well as parents' dietary knowledge. Findings highlight the importance of staff engagement and training in successful nutrition interventions.

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Family-Centred Nutrition Intervention for Young Children: A Community Approach

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  1. Heather Ohly Registered Nutritionist

  2. Introduction • Food Standards Agency funded (now DH) • Exploratory and developmental trial of a family-centred nutrition intervention delivered in children’s centres • Rural/urban settings – Cornwall and Islington • Collaboration with UCL

  3. Study design

  4. Exploratory phase • Consultations with parents and children’s centre staff • Focus groups (39 parents; 24 staff) • Individual interviews (6 parents) • Questionnaire surveys (261 parents; 31 centre managers)

  5. Summary of findings • Nutrition intervention is needed • Short.....flexible.....community outreach • Emphasis on practical skills – cooking, recipe ideas, food shopping, budgeting, overcoming fussy eating • Staff capacity and training needs

  6. Development phase • Literature review of nutrition interventions targeting under fives (UK & Worldwide) • Review of resources available • Consultations with local steering groups in both locations

  7. Cherry course • Four week course (2 hours per week) • Free crèche provided • Parent and child involvement • Interactive and practical sessions • Recruited and trained of tutors (FL)

  8. Overview of sessions • Week 1: Family friendly foods • Week 2: Introducing new foods • Week 3: Healthy snacks and drinks • Week 4: Healthy eating on a budget • Food preparation and tasting each week • Cherry at home

  9. RCT study design • Randomly selected children’s centres (16) • Randomly allocated to intervention or control group (8 pairs) • Pairs matched by location and deprivation • Baseline and 6 month follow-up evaluations

  10. Evaluation methods • Primary outcome: children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables (24 hour recalls) • Secondary outcome: children’s consumption of sugary drinks and snacks (24 hour recalls) • Other dietary outcomes and parents’ knowledge, attitudes etc (questionnaire)

  11. Sample characteristics • Total 394 families recruited (Cornwall = 190) • Children aged 18 months – five years • Good retention rate to follow-up (77%) • As many low income families as possible • Matched groups

  12. Positive feedback ‘Talking to other parents was great and realising I wasn’t the only one going through it’ ‘She’s eating tangerines and cucumber which she never did before. She even gets cross if I forget to buy them!’ ‘To see the children getting involved was inspiring’

  13. Key results

  14. Process evaluation • Engagement with staff was important • Nutrition training important • Group dynamics could be challenging • Difficulty of applying RCT model • Most and least useful components

  15. Future contact details Dr Gail Rees Lecturer in Human Nutrition Plymouth University gail.rees@plymouth.ac.uk

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