Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39880422›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Efficacy of the Foodbot Factory digital curriculum-based nutrition education intervention in improving children's nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in elementary school classrooms: protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Jacqueline Marie Brown, Saman Tahir, Beatriz Franco-Arellano, Ann LeSage, Janette Hughes, Bill Kapralos, Wendy Lou, Ellen Vogel, Michael Farkouh, Claire Tugault-Lafleur and 1 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05979259 (Efficacy of a Digital School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Children's Healthy Eating Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05979259 nacompletednot on this map

Efficacy of a Digital School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Children's Healthy Eating Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Ontario Institute of TechnologyRan2023 to 2025Enrolled616ConditionsNutrition, HealthyArmsSerious game nutrition education intervention, Conventional nutrition education intervention
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Jacqueline Marie BrownFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3806-0802
Saman TahirFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Beatriz Franco-ArellanoFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Ann LeSageMitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Janette HughesMitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Bill KapralosGame Development and Interactive Media Program, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Wendy LouBiostatistics, University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ellen VogelFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Michael FarkouhCedars-Sinai Health System, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Claire Tugault-LafleurFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
JoAnne ArcandFaculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada joanne.arcand@ontariotechu.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1995-6905

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSchools are an important setting for supporting children's development of food literacy, but minimal research has assessed which strategies are most suitable for school nutrition education. The Foodbot Factory intervention, consisting of serious game (ie, a digital game designed for education) and curriculum-based lesson plans, was developed to support teachers and children ages 8-12 with nutrition education. Pilot data have demonstrated that Foodbot Factory can significantly improve children's nutrition knowledge, but it has not yet been evaluated in classrooms. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-blinded cluster randomised controlled trial was designed in 2022 by a research team based at Ontario Tech University to determine the efficacy of the Foodbot Factory intervention in improving children's nutrition knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. 32 grade 4 and 4/5 classrooms in Ontario will be randomised to receive (1) the Foodbot Factory intervention or (2) a control nutrition education intervention using conventional materials (eg, activity sheets). The study's primary outcome is to determine the overall nutrition knowledge acquired from the intervention. Secondary outcomes include nutrition knowledge subscores (ie, knowledge of specific food groups), nutrition attitudes, dietary intake, general nutrition behaviours (eg, eating breakfast) and intervention acceptability. An Ontario-certified teacher will deliver the intervention to both groups for 35-40 min/day for five consecutive days. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 4 weeks and 3 months postintervention using the Nutrition Attitudes and Knowledge questionnaire, the Block Kids Food Screener, a modified Family Nutrition and Physical Activity screener and an acceptability questionnaire. Generalised linear mixed models will assess changes in outcomes between groups. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol is approved by research ethics boards at Ontario Tech University and participating school boards. Results of the trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals and lay summaries will be available to stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05979259.

Indexed as

Health EducationHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeChildCurriculumFemaleHumansMaleOntarioRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSchool Health ServicesSchoolsSingle-Blind MethodCommunity child healthDigital TechnologyHealth LiteracyNUTRITION & DIETETICSSchools

Identifiers

PMID39880422
PMCPMC11781139

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.