Brown Jacqueline Marie, Tahir Saman, Franco-Arellano Beatriz, LeSage Ann, Hughes Janette, Kapralos Bill, Lou Wendy, Vogel Ellen, Farkouh Michael, Tugault-Lafleur Claire, Arcand JoAnne
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
BMJ Open. 2025 Jan 28;15(1):e092426. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-092426.
Schools are an important setting for supporting children's development of food literacy, but minimal research has assessed which strategies are most suitable for school nutrition education. The Foodbot Factory intervention, consisting of serious game (ie, a digital game designed for education) and curriculum-based lesson plans, was developed to support teachers and children ages 8-12 with nutrition education. Pilot data have demonstrated that Foodbot Factory can significantly improve children's nutrition knowledge, but it has not yet been evaluated in classrooms.
A single-blinded cluster randomised controlled trial was designed in 2022 by a research team based at Ontario Tech University to determine the efficacy of the Foodbot Factory intervention in improving children's nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. 32 grade 4 and 4/5 classrooms in Ontario will be randomised to receive (1) the Foodbot Factory intervention or (2) a control nutrition education intervention using conventional materials (eg, activity sheets). The study's primary outcome is to determine the overall nutrition knowledge acquired from the intervention. Secondary outcomes include nutrition knowledge subscores (ie, knowledge of specific food groups), nutrition attitudes, dietary intake, general nutrition behaviours (eg, eating breakfast) and intervention acceptability. An Ontario-certified teacher will deliver the intervention to both groups for 35-40 min/day for five consecutive days. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 4 weeks and 3 months postintervention using the Nutrition Attitudes and Knowledge questionnaire, the Block Kids Food Screener, a modified Family Nutrition and Physical Activity screener and an acceptability questionnaire. Generalised linear mixed models will assess changes in outcomes between groups.
The study protocol is approved by research ethics boards at Ontario Tech University and participating school boards. Results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals and lay summaries will be available to stakeholders.
NCT05979259.
学校是支持儿童食品素养发展的重要场所，但极少有研究评估哪种策略最适合学校营养教育。“食物机器人工厂”干预措施由严肃游戏（即专为教育设计的数字游戏）和基于课程的教案组成，旨在为8至12岁的教师和儿童提供营养教育支持。试点数据表明，“食物机器人工厂”可显著提高儿童的营养知识，但尚未在课堂上进行评估。
安大略理工大学的一个研究团队于2022年设计了一项单盲整群随机对照试验，以确定“食物机器人工厂”干预措施在改善儿童营养知识、态度和行为方面的效果。安大略省的32个四年级和四/五年级教室将被随机分配接受：（1）“食物机器人工厂”干预措施，或（2）使用传统材料（如活动工作表）的对照营养教育干预措施。该研究的主要结果是确定从干预措施中获得的总体营养知识。次要结果包括营养知识子分数（即特定食物组的知识）、营养态度、饮食摄入量、一般营养行为（如吃早餐）和干预措施的可接受性。一名安大略省认证教师将为两组学生连续五天每天进行35至40分钟的干预。将在基线、干预后立即、干预后4周和3个月使用营养态度和知识问卷、儿童食物筛查工具、改良的家庭营养与身体活动筛查工具和可接受性问卷对结果进行评估。广义线性混合模型将评估两组之间结果的变化。
该研究方案已获得安大略理工大学和参与的学校董事会研究伦理委员会的批准。试验结果将发表在同行评审期刊上，利益相关者可获得简要总结。
NCT05979259。
