Healthy EatingNCT07506772
Quality of Home Packed School Lunch Among Children Attending Kindergarten School in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia, 2026
A study testing Nutrition education in people with Healthy Eating and Food Preference, run by Jimma University at 1 site in Ethiopia.
Trial summary
A balanced diet is critical for preschool aged children; meals must be sufficiently diverse to provide the essential nutrients required for rapid physical and cognitive development. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 4 to 7 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Eating, Food Preference, Nutritional Status
- What is being tested?
- Nutrition education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 451 participants
- Where
- 1 siteEthiopia
- Study dates
- 1 Jan 2026to 30 Jun 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 4 to 7 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Children aged 4-7 years attending kindergarten schools in the selected clusters.
- Parents or caregivers willing to provide written informed consent.
Who cannot join
- Students who will not finish the school year/intervention semister in the selected cluster/school.
- Mothers/caregivers who will not give consent for the participation in the study will be excluded.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Ethiopia1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Jimma University
Jimma, Oromiya
Yordanos Bekele, MSC, +251917106192, yordybeke@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Effect of Nutrition Education on the Diet Quality of Home Packed School Lunch Among Preschool Children Attending Kindergarten School in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia, 2026
A balanced diet is critical for preschool aged children; meals must be sufficiently diverse to provide the essential nutrients required for rapid physical and cognitive development. Because dietary habits established in early childhood often persist into adulthood, prioritizing this age group is a cost-effective investment in long-term national health and productivity. However, the National Food Consumption Survey in Ethiopia indicates a significant gap in dietary quality, with only 20% of households across all age groups consuming five or more food groups. Implementing multi-component nutrition interventions is essential, as these strategies significantly influence both the eating habits and dietary preferences of preschool children.
Read the detailed description
Background and Rationale Dietary habits acquired during early childhood frequently persist through adolescence and into young adulthood. Children develop preferences for foods through repeated exposure and are influenced by parental modeling, rewards, and shared mealtime enjoyments. Beyond individual factors, child nutrition is shaped by a complex interplay of parental preferences, parenting styles, food security, and environmental influences such as media and childcare policies. In the school environment, key drivers include nutrition policies, formal curricula, and the knowledge and practices of staff.
Study Aim and Design This study aims to evaluate the impact of a multi-component nutrition education intervention on the diet quality and dietary preferences of kindergarten students in the Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. A mixed-methods approach will be employed, utilizing a cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) and concurrent cross-sectional design.
Methodology A total of 451 students from ten clusters (schools) will be enrolled. These clusters will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group (5 schools each), with approximately 45 students selected per cluster. The intervention includes weekly nutrition education for parents delivered via leaflets and mHealth (vie Telegram) and school based nutrition information for students led by trained female health care providers/nutritionists.
Outcome Measures \& analysis The primary outcomes are mean child diet quality (DDS) and dietary preferences, assessed at baseline and endline. Data will be managed via double entry in EpiData and analyzed using STATA version 15.1. Following an intention-to-treat (ITT) principle, a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) estimator will be used to compare the change in mean scores between groups over the 6-month intervention period. To account for the clustered nature of the data and potential residual confounding, Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) and mixed-effects multilevel linear regression models will be applied.
- Conditions
- Healthy Eating, Food Preference, Nutritional Status
- Being tested
- Nutrition education
- Keywords
- Preschool children, Kindergarten, Cluster Randomised control trial, Nutrition education, Diet Quality, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Ethiopia
- Medical subject headings
- Food Preferences
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Nutrition educationBehavioural
Parent-Focused Component:
The intervention group will receive weekly nutrition education delivered through a multi-modal approach involving mHealth (Telegram) and printed materials. Educational content is derived from the Ethiopian Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and evidence-based literature, culturally tailored to the local context. Printed leaflets will be provided in both Amharic and Afan Oromo and will incorporate pictorial aids to ensure accessibility for parents and caregivers with limited literacy levels.
Child-Focused Component:
Simultaneously, students will participate in bi-weekly nutrition education sessions led by trained nutritionists or health professionals. These sessions are designed based on WHO age-appropriate nutrition education recommendations and will be conducted throughout the duration of the intervention period.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Parental Nutrition education | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Nutrition education |
| Standard care | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean School-Lunch Dietary Diversity Score (mDDS)
The nutritional quality of home-packed school meals (including snacks and lunches) will be assessed using a structured parent reported lunchbox inventory over two non-consecutive school days. The score is calculated based on the presence of 9 distinct food groups adapted from the FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization)/WHO(World Health Organization) dietary diversity indicators:
Starchy staples (grains, roots, tubers) Legumes and nuts Dairy products Flesh foods (meat, poultry, fish) Eggs Vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables Dark green leafy vegetables Other vegetables Other fruits. For each observation day, a score is calculated (Range: 0-9). The final primary outcome is the mean score across the two data collection days. A higher score represents a more diverse and higher-quality school meal.
Measured: Baseline and 6 months post-intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
Child's Healthy Dietary Preference Score
Children's preferences for healthy versus unhealthy foods will be assessed using a pictorial tool adapted for the local Ethiopian context. Children are presented with 10 pairs of standardized images (one nutrient-dense item and one energy-dense/processed item).
For each pair, the child selects their preferred item. A score of 1 is given for each healthy choice. The total score ranges from 0 (lowest preference) to 10 (highest preference). The outcome is the change in the mean score from baseline to endline. A higher score indicates a stronger preference for healthy dietary options.
Measured: Baseline and 6 months post-intervention.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Apr 2026
- Study start1 Jan 2026
- Primary completion24 Jun 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Healthy EatingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 451 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Jimma University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Yordanos Bekele, Jimma University
- Investigators
- Yordanos Bekele Tadesse, MSc, Principal investigator, Jimma University, Mizan Tepi UniversityDesalegn Tamiru, PhD, Principal investigator, Jimma UniversityMelese Sinaga, PhD, Principal investigator, Jimma University, 2Rehabilitation Research Centre (REVAL), Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Hasselt University, Wetenschapspark 7, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07506772
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RP0038/13
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Mar 2026
- Last updated
- 7 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
De Bock F, Breitenstein L, Fischer JE. Positive impact of a pre-school-based nutritional intervention on children's fruit and vegetable intake: results of a cluster-randomized trial. Public Health Nutr. 2012 Mar;15(3):466-75. doi: 10.1017/S136898001100200X. Epub 2011 Aug 23.
PubMed 21859516Hu C, Ye D, Li Y, Huang Y, Li L, Gao Y, Wang S. Evaluation of a kindergarten-based nutrition education intervention for pre-school children in China. Public Health Nutr. 2010 Feb;13(2):253-60. doi: 10.1017/S1368980009990814. Epub 2009 Aug 4.
PubMed 19650964