"First Bite": An intervention to increase children's vegetable consumption in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage - a cluster randomized controlled trial protocol.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundOnly 2% of 4-8-year-old Australian children consume the daily recommended vegetable serves, with implications on the development of lifelong dietary behaviors. Evidence suggests that enhancing children's access, exposure and familiarity with vegetables can help increase their vegetable intake. Most children attend Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services, which are well placed to increase vegetable consumption through curriculum change, play-based learning and parental education.AimWe aim to determine the efficacy of the 'First Bite-Get it Right' (First Bite) intervention to improve the vegetable intake of 3-5-year-old children in ECEC services compared to a control group.MethodThis 8-week cluster-randomized controlled trial involves ECEC services (n = 30) and children

SUBMITTER: Duncan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12660506 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature