Effectiveness of the Lunch is in the Bag program on communication between the parent, child and child-care provider around fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods: A group-randomized controlled trial

•Data on parent communication with their preschooler and childcare providers around nutrition is sparse.•We evaluated intervention effects on parent-child and parent-childcare provider around fruits, vegetables and whole grains.•Communication between parent-child and parent-childcare provider was low at baseline.•Results showed significant improvements in parent communication with childcare provider around fruits and vegetables.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of the parent- and early care education (ECE) center-based Lunch is in the Bag program on communication between parent, child, and their ECE center providers around fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods (FVWG).MethodA total of n = 30 ECE center; 577 parent-child dyads participated in this group-randomized controlled trial conducted from 2011 to 2013 in Texas (n = 15 ECE center, 327 dyads intervention group; n = 15 ECE center, 250 dyads comparison group). Parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication was measured using a parent-reported survey administered at baseline and end of the five-week intervention period. Multilevel linear regression analysis was used to compare the pre-to-post intervention changes in the parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication scales. Significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsAt baseline, parent-child and parent-ECE center provider communication scores were low. There was a significant increase post-intervention in the parent-ECE center provider communication around vegetables (Adjusted β = 0.78, 95%CI: 0.13, 1.43, p = 0.002), and around fruit (Adjusted β = 0.62, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.20, p = 0.04) among the parents in the intervention group as compared to those in the comparison group. There were no significant intervention effects on parent-child communication.ConclusionLunch is in the Bag had significant positive effects on improving communication between the parents and ECE center providers around FVWG.