Three- and Twelve-Month Changes in Child and Adult Care Food Program Best Practices and Preschool Children’s Dietary Intake in Family Child Care Homes after the Happy Healthy Homes Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Enhancing the quality of Family Child Care Home (FCCH) meals is an opportunity to impact children's diet and health. The purpose of this study is to assess Happy Healthy Homes (HHH) randomized controlled trial impact on health-related foods and nutrients served to and consumed by young children and achievement of Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) requirements and best practices. Methods: Forty-five CACFP participating FCCHs in a moderately sized midwestern city were recruited in 2017-2018 and randomized to nutrition intervention (NUT n = 24) or control (CON n = 21). Participants received two in-home, individual 90-minute education sessions, one 3-hour small group class, and a 15-minute check-in phone call over 3 months. Outcomes include 3- and 12-month served and consumed fiber, sugar, grains, vegetables, and fruit and achievement of CACFP Best Practices. Primary analyses at 12 months used a mixed model under an intent-to-treat paradigm to account for repeated measures on participants with 3-month outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were completed on those with complete 12-month measures. Results: There were no statistically significant group-by-time effects for foods served, consumed, or CACFP Best Practices score in the primary analysis. However, in sensitivity analysis, the CACFP Best Practice score (out of 18) increased in NUT +0.5 from 8.9 ± 1.5 at baseline at 12 months and decreased -0.9 in CON from 9.9 ± 1.7 at baseline, group by time p = 0.05. Conclusions: The HHH intervention did improve the CACFP Best Practices score for lunches served. The study's effect may have been limited due to sample size and attrition. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03560050. Retrospectively registered on 23 May 2018. First participant enrolled October 2017.