Improving Willingness to Try Fruits and Vegetables and Gross Motor Skills in Preschool Children in Guam.

Tanisha F Aflague,Rachael T Leon Guerrero,Hyett Sanchez,Eloise Sanchez,Dwight Sablan,Catherine M Schroeder,Grazyna Badowski

doi:10.3390/nu14010093

Abstract

Early childhood interventions have the potential to promote long-term healthy eating and physical activity habits to prevent obesity. However, research studies including indigenous young children are lacking. This study examined the effectiveness of the Food Friends®: Fun with New Foods™ and Get Movin’ with Mighty Moves™ (FFMM) curricula on willingness to try fruits and vegetables (FV) and gross motor (GM) skills among preschoolers in Guam. A pre-post community-based study included preschoolers from Head Start (HS), gifted and talented education (Pre-GATE), and Pre-Kindergarten programs during school years (SY) 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. In SY2017–2018, the intervention group had a significant increase in imported FV when compared with the other three groups. No significant differences between groups were found on the other FV scales. Regarding gross motor skills, no significant differences between groups were found. In SY2018–2019, the intervention group had a significant increase in all FV scales except imported FV when compared with the enhanced intervention group. With gross motor skills, no significant differences were found between groups on its progress. These results warrant FFMM adaptations for the prevention of obesity among Guam preschoolers.

Highlights

Childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB) increases the risk for adult OWOB and associated chronic diseases, which are high among indigenous children [1]
Since the enhanced intervention (i.e., Head Start (HS)). Was composed of both the FFMM and the IMIL curricula, it was expected that this group would demonstrate greater improvements in the Adapted WillTry fruits and vegetables (FV) scores compared to the intervention group; this was not the case
In SY2017–2018, no differences in gross motor (GM) skills were found among groups; there was an improvement in three of six GM skills in enhanced intervention and intervention groups

Summary

Introduction

Childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB) increases the risk for adult OWOB and associated chronic diseases, which are high among indigenous children [1]. The prevalence of early childhood overweight and obesity (OWOB) in 2011–2012 was 22.8%. Among 2–5 years old in the US [2]. In 2013, the OWOB prevalence among children 2–8 years old in Guam was 27.4% [3]. Childhood obesity prevalence was higher in Guam (13.2%) than the US (8.4%) during the same time and among similar ages [2,3]. A recent community randomized environmental childhood obesity intervention in Guam and other jurisdictions in the US Affiliated Pacific region, known as the Children’s Successful obesity interventions for young indigenous and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged children (0–5 years), employed a dual focus on obesity prevention and school readiness, engaged children and parents in educational activities related to nutrition and physical activity, and physical activity sessions that focused on the development of gross motor skills [4].

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion