Rutledge receives $3M NIH grant to improve early childhood feeding practices

Rutledge receives $3M NIH grant to improve early childhood feeding practices

Aug 6, 2024| Education and Human Sciences, Faculty/Staff, Research

Louisiana Tech University's Dr. Julie Rutledge, director of the Education and Research in Children's Health (ENRICH) Center, and Dr. Taren Massey-Swindle, research collaborator from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, have received a $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. This 5-year grant is funded through the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and is titled Deimplementation of Inappropriate Feeding Practices in Early Care and Education Settings.

The project focuses on working closely with early care and education (ECE) teachers to decrease the use of unsupportive feeding practices and increase evidence-based methods in the classroom. Teachers will learn to set goals in phasing out inappropriate practices and adopt supportive ones. The program will provide training, goal-specific resources, and a peer learning collaborative to assist teachers in this transition.

Children consume more than 500 meals and snacks every year at school, and more than 70% of preschool-age children are in non-parental care each week, so the project's potential impact is vast.

"Supporting one early care and education teacher in using evidence-based feeding practices can positively influence up to 20 children each year," Rutledge said. "ECE teachers are vital to young children's ability to develop a healthy relationship with food, exposures in a positive way with fruits and vegetables, and their understanding of their own dietary self-regulation."

The initiative focuses on several common unsupportive practices including negative comments about food, pressuring children to eat beyond their fullness, comparing children's eating habits, rushing mealtimes, and discouraging food manipulation. By addressing these issues, the project aims to foster a healthier relationship between children and their food.

Massey-Swindle emphasized the importance of their achievement and highlighted how the grant will allow them to explore key improvements through their research.

"This award reflects the culmination of several years of collaboration between myself, Dr. Rutledge, and our community partners," Massey-Swindle said. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to ask compelling scientific questions about deimplementation of inappropriate feeding practices in the early care and education setting and if removal of such practices can be sustained over time."

The long-term goal of their work is to increase the use of evidence-based feeding practices in ECE settings supporting healthy weight trajectories and diets for young children and decreasing the risk of serious diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity-related cancers.

"Through our pilot work, we now know which practices to target, and through this grant, we expect to show what strategies best support ECE teachers in decreasing these unsupportive practices," Rutledge added. "We expect these results to have a positive impact on the weight and dietary behaviors of young children in early care and education. Future work will build on this by focusing on scale-up to include more sites and sustainment of the decrease of unsupportive practices."

The project's partnership spans across Louisiana and Arkansas, including Louisiana Tech undergraduate students from programs such as marketing, pre-med, and human development and family science, along with graduate students and research staff. Rutledge and Massey-Swindle also collaborated with Head Start administrators and teachers for development and pilot testing as they began their research.

"These programs would not be possible without our dedicated and passionate research team," Rutledge said. "The School of Human Ecology and our Director, Dr. Amy Yates, have been incredibly supportive of my research, and I would not be able to continue this work without their continued support. This project is very special to us both, and I am excited to continue our shared vision of supporting early care and education and positive health outcomes for young children."

This innovative research represents a significant step forward in promoting healthier feeding practices in ECE, fostering healthier eating habits and brighter futures.