title: A randomised controlled trial of an intervention to facilitate the implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices in childcare services.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Childhood overweight and obesity tracks into adulthood, increasing the risk of developing future chronic disease. Implementing initiatives promoting healthy eating and physical activity in childcare settings has been identified as a priority to prevent excessive child weight gain. Despite this, few trials have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of interventions to support population-wide implementation of such initiatives. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention in increasing the implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices by centre-based childcare services.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study will employ a parallel group randomised controlled trial design. A sample of 128 childcare services in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia, will be recruited to participate in the trial. 64 services will be randomly allocated to a 12-month implementation intervention. The remaining 64 services will be allocated to a usual care control group. The intervention will consist of a number of strategies to facilitate childcare service implementation of healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices. Intervention strategies will include implementation support staff, securing executive support, consensus processes, staff training, academic detailing visits, performance monitoring and feedback, tools and resources, and a communications strategy. The primary outcome of the trial will be the prevalence of services implementing all healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices targeted by the intervention. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, telephone surveys with nominated supervisors and room leaders of childcare services will be conducted at baseline and immediately postintervention.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study was approved by the Hunter New England Human Research Ethics Committee and the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee. Study findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Australian Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612000927820.
authors.affiliation: Hunter New England Population Health, Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jannah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolfenden
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wyse
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Finch
authors.forename: Sze Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Yoong
authors.forename: Pennie
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pond
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gillham
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freund
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McElduff
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wye
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiggers
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009517:New South Wales; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control
keywords: PREVENTIVE MEDICINE; PUBLIC HEALTH
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD000409
references.pmid: 17943742
references.citation: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2012 Aug 29;9:101
references.pmid: 22929434
references.citation: Med J Aust. 2004 Mar 15;180(S6):S57-60
references.pmid: 15012583
references.citation: Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2012 Apr;9(4):1326-42
references.pmid: 22690196
references.citation: J Phys Act Health. 2008 Jan;5(1):88-103
references.pmid: 18209256
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2015 Jun;18(9):1610-9
references.pmid: 24477181
references.citation: Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Apr;33 Suppl 1:S74-81
references.pmid: 19363514
references.citation: CMAJ. 1995 Nov 15;153(10):1423-31
references.pmid: 7585368
references.citation: Am J Prev Med. 2010 Apr;38(4):443-56
references.pmid: 20307814
references.citation: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Feb;18 Suppl 1:S27-35
references.pmid: 20107458
references.citation: Prev Med. 1993 Mar;22(2):237-60
references.pmid: 8483862
references.citation: Eval Health Prof. 2006 Sep;29(3):302-33
references.pmid: 16868340
references.citation: Pediatr Clin North Am. 2011 Dec;58(6):1521-41, xii
references.pmid: 22093867
references.citation: BMJ. 2011 Feb 07;342:d40
references.pmid: 21300711
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May;59(5):955-9
references.pmid: 8172099
references.citation: Health Technol Assess. 2004 Feb;8(6):iii-iv, 1-72
references.pmid: 14960256
references.citation: J Paediatr Child Health. 2011 Mar;47(3):73-6
references.pmid: 20500433
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Apr 15;(2):CD003030
references.pmid: 19370580
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2011 Sep;111(9):1343-62
references.pmid: 21872698
references.citation: Future Child. 2006 Spring;16(1):143-68
references.pmid: 16532662
references.citation: PLoS Med. 2011 Jun;8(6):e1001049
references.pmid: 21738450
references.citation: BMJ. 1998 Aug 15;317(7156):465-8
references.pmid: 9703533
references.citation: PLoS Med. 2010 Mar 24;7(3):e1000251
references.pmid: 20352064
references.citation: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2010 Nov 03;7:80
references.pmid: 21047434
references.citation: J Clin Epidemiol. 2007 Jul;60(7):663-9
references.pmid: 17573981
references.citation: Implement Sci. 2009 Aug 07;4:50
references.pmid: 19664226
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2010 Apr 28;10:216
references.pmid: 20423524
references.citation: BMC Public Health. 2010 Sep 08;10:534
references.pmid: 20822543
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Nov;92(5):1257-64
references.pmid: 20861173
references.citation: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007 Jul 05;4:29
references.pmid: 17615078
references.citation: Arch Intern Med. 1995 Mar 27;155(6):625-32
references.pmid: 7887759
references.citation: Health Promot J Austr. 2009 Aug;20(2):112-9
references.pmid: 19642959
references.citation: Aust N Z J Public Health. 2010 Jun;34(3):288-92
references.pmid: 20618271
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2009 Dec;124(6):1650-9
references.pmid: 19917582
references.citation: Implement Sci. 2012 May 31;7:50
references.pmid: 22651257
references.citation: Med Care. 2001 Aug;39(8 Suppl 2):II2-45
references.pmid: 11583120
references.citation: Obes Rev. 2005 Feb;6(1):23-33
references.pmid: 15655036
references.citation: Am J Prev Med. 2008 Oct;35(4):352-6
references.pmid: 18701236
references.citation: Aust N Z J Public Health. 2009 Jun;33(3):270-5
references.pmid: 19630848
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 2007 Jul;133(4):673-93
references.pmid: 17592961
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Apr;91(4):831-40
references.pmid: 20147472
references.citation: J Am Diet Assoc. 2011 Sep;111(9):1306-13
references.pmid: 21872693
references.citation: J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Feb;21(1):62-71
references.pmid: 11838889
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jun 13;(6):CD000259
references.pmid: 22696318
references.citation: JAMA. 1990 Jan 26;263(4):549-56
references.pmid: 2104640
references.citation: Prev Chronic Dis. 2007 Jul;4(3):A67
references.pmid: 17572971
references.citation: Med J Aust. 2007 May 7;186(9):458-60
references.pmid: 17484707