Supporting cooks to provide healthy meals in childcare

INTERVENTION: MENU BOX DELIVERY This study will pilot the delivery of menu boxes direct to long day care centres over a period of 8‐weeks (2 x 4‐week menu cycles). A 4‐week menu will be developed by dietitians that meets the Victorian Menu Planning Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care settings. The Menu planning guidelines are based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The menu box will be nut free, provide vegetarian options and will be Hallal. Centres will use standard practice to cater for other allergies and/or dietary requirements. The menu box will provide a morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, and centres will be able to order provisions for breakfast and late snack if required. Menu boxes containing recipes and ingredients for the week will be delivered to long day care centres once per week. Ingredients will arrive in a delivery box with an insulated liner and ice packs designed to keep ingredients fresh for up to 8 hours and able to withstand most weather conditions. Ordering and use of the menu boxes (i.e. adherence to the intervention) will be monitored using weekly checklists completed by cooks and courier delivery records. CONDITION: Diet and Nutrition ‐ Other diet and nutrition disorders Insufficient vegetable intake;Poor dietary intake; ; Insufficient vegetable intake ; Poor dietary intake Public Health ‐ Health promotion/education PRIMARY OUTCOME: Food group provision on long day care centre menu, measured by menu assessment against the Victorian Menu Planning Guidelines using menu assessment tool[At baseline and 8‐week follow‐up (post intervention)] Usual dietary intake at long day care over the past month, measured using the Short Food Survey for Early Childhood Education and Care; [At baseline and 8‐week follow‐up (post intervention)] Vegetable intake at morning tea, lunch and afternoon (at long day care), measured using plate waste method[At baseline and 8‐week follow‐up (post intervention)] SECONDARY OUTCOME: Cost analysis of menu box delivery versus cook's training and menu planning. Cost data will be collected from centre records and menu box delivery records, including staff time, wages, food budget, food ingredient cost, centre attendance, menu box cost (incl. delivery). [At commence and end of the study. Some cost data (i.e. menu box cost, staff time), will also be collected weekly, during the 8‐week period intervention period] Food group intake at long day care centres, measured using the Short Food Survey for Early Childhood Education and Care and plate waste method[At baseline and 8‐week follow‐up (post intervention)] Process evaluation ‐ acceptability and satisfaction ; Acceptability and satisfaction of interventions will be measured via interviewer administered questionnaires with Cooks, designed for this study. Questionnaires will use questions with closed response options combined with open responses during interview. [Menu Box Delivery ‐ At 8‐week follow‐up (end menu box delivery intervention) ; Menu Planning ‐ At menu change implementation (approximately 6 weeks after baseline, at completion of training and menu assessment)] Process evaluation ‐ feasibility ; Feasibility will be measured via recruitment and retention records, interviewer administered questionnaires with cooks and weekly checklist completed by cooks (menu box delivery only). Both instruments were designed for this study. [Baseline, weekly during intervention period (checklist), at 8‐week follow‐up] Process evaluation ‐ intervention delivery and fidelity. ; ; ; ; Menu Planning group ‐ At menu change implementation (approximately 6 weeks after baseline, at completion of training and menu assessment)] INCLUSION CRITERIA: Long day care centre INCLUSION CRITERIA: ‐ Private long day care centres in Adelaide, South Australia ; For Menu Box Delivery group ‐ number of menu boxes ordered, delivered and used, cancellation of menu box orders, measured using electronic records (i.e. emails) of orders and cancellations, and weekly checklist completed by cooks, developed for study. ; For Menu Planning group ‐ completion of online training modules and use of menu assessment tool, measured by website analytics and interviewer‐administered cook's questionnaire developed for this study.[Menu Box Delivery group ‐ weekly during 8‐weeks of intervention period ‐ Operate for at least 8‐hours per weekday (Monday ‐ Friday) ‐ Serve one main meal and two mid‐meal snacks each day to children under their care ‐ Cater, but not exclusively, to children aged two to five years with a minimum enrollment of twenty children within this age group per day Child INCLUSION CRITERIA: Child aged 2‐5 years enrolled at participating centre and present on data collection day