Tooty Fruity Vegie: an obesity prevention intervention evaluation in Australian preschools

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Nutrition
• Childhood Obesity Prevention

Background:

• Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health issues.
• Preschool-aged children (3-6 years) are a critical target group for early intervention.
• Improving fundamental movement skills (FMS) and dietary habits can influence weight status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a preschool-based intervention on reducing overweight and obesity prevalence.
• To assess the intervention's impact on fundamental movement skills (FMS), fruit and vegetable intake, and unhealthy food consumption.
• To measure changes in anthropometric indicators such as BMI Z-scores and waist circumference.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomised controlled trial involving 18 preschools on the North Coast of NSW.
• The 10-month 'Tooty Fruity Vegie in Preschools' program incorporated nutrition and physical activity strategies.
• Evaluations included FMS testing, lunch box audits, anthropometric measures, and parent surveys pre- and post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Intervention group children showed significant improvements in FMS (14.79 units, p<0.001).
• Increased fruit and vegetable consumption (0.63 serves, p=0.001) and reduced unhealthy lunch box items (p<0.001) were observed.
• Significant reductions in waist circumference growth (-0.80 cm, p=0.002) and BMI Z-scores (-0.15, p=0.022) were noted.

Conclusions:

• A 10-month preschool intervention significantly improved children's food intake and movement skills.
• The program positively influenced key indicators of weight status in preschool children.
• This intervention demonstrates a viable strategy for early childhood obesity prevention.