Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas

Childhood obesity is a national problem with racial and ethnic disparities specifically among Hispanic children. The primary purpose of this study is to develop and implement a culturally appropriate healthy eating intervention called Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas.

Specific Aim (SA) 1. To develop a culturally appropriate healthy eating promotion intervention (Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas) in collaboration with Hispanic churches and their congregants.

SA2. To conduct the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention in eight churches (four churches in the intervention vs four in the control/attention group), and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the intervention.

SA3. To assess the impact of the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention on healthy food preparation (mothers) and intake of fruits and vegetables (child).

The investigators will compare between the intervention group (16 mother-child dyads) versus the control/attention group (16 mother-child dyad) to see if the intervention is effective in improving diet quality and changing cooking behaviors.

Participants will:

1. Participate in cooking workshops and one to one learning activities
2. Report on diet and physical activity
3. Will measure fruit and vegetable intake

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Pediatric Obesity; Health Behavior, Risky
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas

Detailed Description

The primary purpose of this study is to develop and implement a culturally appropriate healthy eating intervention called Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas , to be delivered in the home and church setting by lay Community Health workers (CHW).

Specific Aim (SA) 1. To develop a culturally appropriate healthy eating promotion intervention (Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas ) in collaboration with Hispanic churches and their congregants (formative).

SA2. To conduct the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention in eight churches (four churches in the intervention vs four in the control/attention group), and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of implementing the intervention (implementation).

SA3. To assess the impact of the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention on healthy food preparation (mothers) and intake of fruits and vegetables (child).

To achieve Aim 1, Healthy eating culturally adapted modules will be developed from existing sources The healthy eating modules will consist of: Cause and long-term consequences of childhood obesity, Importance of hydration , Physical Activity, Recommended meal portions and meal planning, Sugar Smart, Ultra-processed foods, Fruits and vegetables.

The investigators will recruit up to 15 women to participate in focus groups (FGs) to participate in an iterative process of culturally adapting the healthy eating modules. FGs will be audio-recorded on Zoom or on an encrypted iPad, and professionally transcribed for data analysis. A moderator will lead the FGs, and a note taker will be present during the FGs.

To achieve aim 2, the investigators will recruit and train 10 lay CHWs to deliver the intervention. Priest, pastors, sisters, and/or church staff will approach women who are active in the church setting to discuss the program goals and assess their interest in becoming CHWs. The training will consist of learning the 7 learning modules, and how to effect and motivate behavior change.

Hispanic mother and-child dyads will be recruited to participate in the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention via word or mouth from priests, sisters, and church staff and via fliers being posted in the churches. The objective is to recruit a total of 16 mother-child dyad, for the intervention group and 16 mother-child dyads for the control/attention group. The total sample, size will be 64 participants.

Randomization will occur at the level of the church. Each dyad will be assigned to either the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention group or the control group. The Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention group will be implemented at home by the lay CHW bi-weekly for 14 weeks. Participants within the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention will also attend two Cooking Demonstrations/Tasting Workshops. The workshops will be led by the CHW Specialist, and the dietitian. The workshops are projected to last 2-3 hrs. 60 minutes for teaching nutrition facts, healthy ingredient selection, portion sizes, and the nutritional value of typical Hispanic dishes. The remaining 60-90 minutes will be dedicated to cooking.

The control group will receive seven bi-weekly messaging videos for 12 weeks via Facebook/whatsApp. The messaging videos will last 5-15 minutes and will be delivered in Spanish or English. The topics of the messaging videos are as follows: Mental health issues that affect the Hispanic community, childhood vaccinations Cord blood banking, recommended adult vaccinations, common childhood diseases, dental care for adults and children common behavioral problems in children.

To achieve Aim 3, the investigators will test differences between the intervention and control groups. To determine if there is a change in food preparation in the home setting by the participant (mother) the investigators will measure home cooking quality at T0, and T1. The instrument to evaluate if there is a difference after implementation of the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention is the HCQ2. To assess if there is a change in intake of fruits and vegetables, in children that participated in the Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas intervention and the control/attention group the investigators will use the Veggie Meter and the Block FFQ at T0 and T1.

The investigators will use descriptive statistics to describe our sample and to make comparisons between the intervention and control/attention group. For the primary outcomes, of changes in dietary behaviors at the family level and change in diet quality, the investigators will use pre-post data (T0 and TI). Secondary outcomes of consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of sugar drinks, and physical activity, will be analyzed by using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model from baseline T0, to T1 in children and mothers in both groups.

Data analysis of the FGs qualitative data: FGs transcripts will be uploaded to MAXQDA software for data management and to analyze the transcripts. The investigators will use Rapid analytical techniques to code and uncover themes in the transcripts.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 64
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Martha Rojo, PhD; Phone Number: 5019529445; Email: MORojo@uams.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Jonathan Rodriguez; Email: JRodriguez2@uams.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205
      • Recruiting
      • University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
      • Principal Investigator: Martha Rojo, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 to 45 years old
• Living in the United States for at least one year
• At least one child aged 7 to 12 years old, and
• English and/or Spanish speaker

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to read or write in English or Spanish.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group; Seven healthy eating modules, delivered by Community Health Workers (CHW) in the home setting, for 14 weeks. Plus two to three cooking demonstration in the church setting.	Behavioral: Growing Healthy Children and Families in Rural Arkansas; The intervention will consist of seven healthy eating culturally developed modules, which will be implemented/delivered in the participants home and two cooking demonstration/tasting workshops for the participants in the intervention group (mothers in the church setting and individual and collective goal settings for the intervention group.
No Intervention: Control/Attention Group; Five video recordings via Facebook/WhatsApp for three months. Video topics: Mental Health; Cord Blood Banking; Dental Care; Immunizations; Behavioral Problems in Children

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in dietary behavior	Evaluated via eating habits as reported through the Food Frequency Questionnaire	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)
Change in diet quality - Food Frequency Questionnaire	Evaluated based on eating habits reported through the Food Frequency Questionnaire	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)
Change in diet quality - Healthy Cooking Questionnaire-2	Evaluated based on eating habits reported through the Healthy Cooking Questionnaire-2	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Consumption of fruits and vegetables	Evaluated through the Veggie Meter measures	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)
Consumption of sugary drinks	Evaluated through the FFQ	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)
Physical activity	Evaluated through the PA Screener	Baseline (T0), Week 22 (T1)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Martha Rojo, PhD, UAMS

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): August 22, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 2, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Community Health; Cultural Adaptation; Healthy Diet; Faith Based Organizations
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Overnutrition; Body Weight; Overweight; Obesity; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Health Behavior; Pediatric Obesity; Health Risk Behaviors
• Other Study ID Numbers: 297627

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No