Squire's Quest! II: Implementation Intentions and Children's Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable (FJV) Consumption



Status:Completed
Conditions:Cancer, Cancer, Obesity Weight Loss
Therapuetic Areas:Endocrinology, Oncology
Healthy:No
Age Range:8 - 12
Updated:4/21/2016
Start Date:October 2009
End Date:March 2011

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Squire's Quest! II: Implementation Intentions and Children's FJV Consumption

The primary purpose of this research is to test the effects of goal setting on fruit and
vegetable goal attainment and consumption in a 10 episode video game. Factors associated
with maintenance of behavior change will also be examined. Secondary purposes are to explore
the impact of the intervention on psychosocial factors and the home environment. 400
parent-child pairs will be recruited for this research (800 participants total). Children
will play the video game and participate in data collection activities. Parents will receive
newsletters, have access to a healthy foods web site, and participate in data collection
activities. A small subset will be randomly selected to participate in interviews about the
intervention and its effect on the home food environment.

Obesity is increasing among youth and is associated with increased risk of certain cancers
and other chronic diseases. Fruit, juice, and vegetable (FJV) intake is associated with
decreased risk of many types of cancer and obesity, but is well below the recommended
minimum of five servings a day. Innovative methods are needed to promote increased
consumption among youth.

Goal setting enhances goal attainment and, therefore, facilitates behavior change. Little
research has been conducted, however, on the most effective goal setting methods to use with
youth. Among adults, the formation of implementation intentions (a detailed plan of when,
where, and how goals will be achieved) has been shown to enhance goal attainment and/or
behavior change, including dietary change. Research is needed to determine if extending the
goal setting process to include implementation intentions is an effective method for
enhancing goal attainment, and therefore, increasing FJV intake among youth.

Squire's Quest! is a proven-effective 10-session, 5 week interactive multi media program
that enabled children to increase FJV consumption by 1.0 servings a day. Total consumption
was still well below five servings a day, however. Additionally, goal attainment was related
to FJV consumption among certain sub-groups of youth. Therefore, additional work in this
area is warranted. The research outlined in this proposal will expand the goal setting
component of this successful intervention to include the formation of implementation
intentions. Hypotheses related to the impact of implementation intentions on goal attainment
and FJV consumption will then be tested. Issues related to maintenance of youth dietary
behavior change will also be explored.

This project is relevant to public health because enhancing our understanding of how to more
effectively help young children set and achieve FJV goals should result in increased FJV
consumption, which should decrease risk of both obesity and certain cancers in a vulnerable
segment of the population.

Inclusion Criteria:

- child: 4th or 5th grade children who speak, write, and understand English; have
access to a computer with high speed internet; provide written parental consent and
child assent; and have a parent who speaks and understands English or Spanish who is
willing to participate in the study

- Parents: parent or legal guardian of a child participating in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

- child: not meeting inclusion criteria; having physical, mental, or medical
limitations that inhibit ability to fully participate in the study (answer questions
online and over the phone, play the video game, eat fruit and vegetables); and/or not
having a parent/legal guardian willing to participate in data collection activities.

- Parents. Exclusion criteria are limited to not meeting the inclusion criteria.
We found this trial at
1
site
1200 Moursund Street
Houston, Texas 77030
(713) 798-4951
Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the only private medical school...
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mi
from
Houston, TX
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