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NCT Number: NCT05166629

Eatable Alphabet as a Nutrition Education Tool

This pilot randomized controlled trial will test the effectiveness of Eatable Alphabet cards, a child friendly nutrition education tool, on child weight and related behaviors in a clinical sample of 2 to 10-year-old children with overweight/obesity, referred to a pediatric weight management program.

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This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Child Overnutrition Body Weight Child Nutrition Disorders Child Obesity Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pediatric Obesity Signs and Symptoms

Age range

2 year–10 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Cohen Children's Medical Center

New Hyde Park, New York, 11040, United States

About this study

The goal of this research study is to determine whether the use of Eatable Alphabet cards in addition to standard weight management in a primary care setting will increase vegetable consumption. Additional outcomes that will be examined include fruit consumption, child engagement in meal selection and preparation, and clinic follow-up. If the intervention shows a significant effect in the above outcome measures, Eatable Alphabet cards can be implemented as a standard component of obesity management in primary care settings. It is hypothesized that the intervention will increase vegetable consumption, increase child engagement in meal selection and preparation, and increase clinic follow-up.

The study design is randomized control trial, in which the control group includes parent-child dyads receiving care as usual in the weight management program, including nutrition education, and the intervention group includes parent-child dyads receiving care as usual in the weight management program plus Eatable Alphabet cards in addition to typical nutrition education. All study participants will be families receiving care at the POWER Kids Weight Management Program at 410 Lakeville Road, with the child between the ages of 2 and 10 who have overweight or obesity. The primary outcome is parent reported frequency of child vegetable consumption. Secondary outcomes include: parent reported frequency of child fruit consumption, parent reported child engagement in meal selection/preparation, follow-up weight management visit attendance, and child anthropometric outcomes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • New patient at Cohen Children's Medical Center POWER Kids weight management program (defined as not having been seen by the program within the past 2 years)
  • Child between the ages of 2-10
  • English-speaking

Exclusion criteria

  • No appropriate caregiver available for consent.

Treatment and study plan

Eatable Alphabet

Behavioral

Eatable Alphabet is a set of kitchen activity cards developed by ChopChop Family, in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, with funding from the CDC (https://www.chopchopfamily.org/eatable-alphabet/). It includes a series of alphabet cards with family-friendly recipes.

Usual Care

Behavioral

Please see above description of usual care.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in parent reported child vegetable consumption (servings/day)

    Time frame: 1 month

    Parents will complete pre and post intervention/usual care survey measures of vegetable consumption.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in parent reported child fruit consumption (servings/day)

    Time frame: 1 month

    Parents will complete pre and post intervention/usual care survey measures of fruit consumption.

  2. Parent reported child engagement in meal selection/preparation

    Time frame: 1 month

    Parents will complete pre and post intervention/usual care survey measures of child engagement in meal selection/preparation.

  3. Follow-up weight management visit attendance

    Time frame: 6 months

    We will determine whether the patient returned for scheduled follow-up visit via medical record review.

  4. Change in child body mass index (BMI) z-score

    Time frame: 6 months

    Weight and height measured by clinical staff at the baseline visit and all subsequent visits over the next six months will be used to calculate body mass index (BMI=kg/m^2). Software will use Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference standards to convert BMI into a BMI z-score based on the child's age and sex. Change in BMI z-score will be defined as BMI z-score 6 months (+/- 3 months) after the intervention visit minus BMI z-score at the baseline intervention visit.

  5. Change in weight for age (WFA) z-score

    Time frame: 6 months

    Weight measured by clinical staff at the baseline visit and all subsequent visits over the next six months will be used to generate weight for age (WFA) z-scores using CDC reference standards. Change in WFA z-score will be defined as WFA z-score 6 months (+/- 3 months) after the intervention visit minus WFA z-score at the baseline intervention visit.

  6. Change in percent of the 95th percentile of BMI for age and sex

    Time frame: 6 months

    Weight and height measured by clinical staff at the baseline visit and all subsequent visits over the next six months will be used to calculate body mass index (BMI=kg/m^2). Software will use CDC reference standards to convert BMI into a percent of the 95th percentile for the child's age and sex. Change in percent of the 95th percentile will be defined as percent of the 95th percentile 6 months (+/- 3 months) after the intervention visit minus percent of the 95th percentile z-score at the baseline intervention visit.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Northwell Health

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Measuring the Effectiveness of Eatable Alphabet Cards as a Nutrition Education Tool in a Pediatric Weight Management Program

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 22, 2021
Registry last updated
Jun 9, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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