Fourth-Grade Cooking and Physical Activity Intervention Reveals Associations With Cooking Experience and Sex.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Health Behavior Interventions
• Childhood Obesity Prevention

Background:

• Childhood obesity remains a significant public health concern, necessitating effective interventions.
• Dietary habits and physical activity levels established in childhood often persist into adulthood.
• School-based programs offer a promising avenue for promoting healthy lifestyles among children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the Fuel for Fun (FFF) intervention on children's culinary self-efficacy, attitudes towards food, fruit and vegetable preferences, physical activity, and body mass index.
• To assess the differential effects of school-based (S.FFF) versus school-plus-family (S+F.FFF) intervention components.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted in eight elementary schools involving fourth-grade students.
• Interventions included theory-based cooking and tasting lessons, active recess, and cafeteria promotions, with some groups receiving additional family nights and home activities.
• Outcomes were measured over 12 months, with analyses accounting for individual outcomes nested within classrooms, schools, and districts, controlling for sex and baseline cooking experience.

Main Results:

• No significant overall intervention effect was observed on the primary outcomes.
• Students who engaged in cooking activities demonstrated higher culinary self-efficacy, more positive attitudes, and greater fruit and vegetable preferences.
• While physical activity increased for all students, boys maintained higher levels; body mass index percentile remained stable across groups.

Conclusions:

• Cooking experience and sex are significant factors associated with culinary self-efficacy, attitudes, and food preferences, highlighting the need for tailored intervention strategies.
• The study design, which accounted for nested data structures, did not reveal significant treatment impacts, suggesting limitations in assessing school-based interventions under assumptions of student independence.
• Future research should consider alternative assessment methods that better account for the complexities of group-randomized trials in school settings.