Yeego! Healthy Eating & Gardening

The small randomized controlled trial of an intensive curriculum and school garden
intervention will be implemented in elementary schools in two communities (Shiprock and
Tsaile). The study will begin in year 1 with a period of engagement and recruitment of
schools in each community; with the goal of recruiting three schools in each community to
start the run-in phase. The run-in period will include time for greater engagement with the
school community, an assessment of the potential garden site and an assessment of evaluation
readiness. Depending on whether all three schools in the community qualify for the study at
the end of run-in, or only two schools per community, we will randomize three or two schools
to intervention or delayed intervention status in each community. We will have either two
intervention schools and 4 delayed intervention schools, or 2 intervention schools and 2
delayed intervention schools, depending on the run-in information. We will conduct baseline
data collection (T1) at the beginning of the school year in Year 2 with both children and
parents. Students in the intervention group will receive the curriculum and school garden
during that academic school year. At the end of the school year, we will conduct the T2
assessment in children and parents. The main evaluation period is between T1 and f2, and the
statistical analysis methods refer to the T2 versus T1 change in outcome measures (healthy
eating and gardening). After that, at the beginning of the next school year (Year 3), the
delayed intervention schools will receive the intervention. During Year 3, we will also
conduct quarterly community gardening workshops for adult family members in all schools.
Attendance at these will be tracked. A final assessment (T3) will be conducted at the end of
the second school year in all the randomized schools to describe behaviors in children and
parents over time, using a quasiexperimental design that estimates change in the delayed
intervention group between T2 and T3, attributable in part to the delayed intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children ages 8-12

- Adults ages 21-75

- Elementary schools in Tsaile and Shiprock will have been in existence for at least
three years, school size (have between 40 to 100 students in grades 3 and 4 combined),
have more than two-thirds Navajo students and satisfy a garden site checklist that can
overcome garden barriers (e.9. have access to water)

- Assessment is restricted to Male/female students in grades 3 and 4 attending,
attending school in either Tsaile or Shiprock and one family member (Navajo adult aged
18 and older) for each child.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Family member- child dyads neither of which are Navajo

- Family member/child dyads not expected to stay at the recruited Tsaile or Shiprock
elementary school for the whole school year.