Project Grant 20233353039326

POOR DIETARY QUALITY, AND LOW FRUIT AND VEGETABLE (FV) INTAKE IN PARTICULAR, IS AN ESTABLISHED RISK FACTOR FOR MANY CHRONIC DISEASES; CURRENT CONSUMPTION AMONG CHILDREN IS ALARMINGLY INADEQUATE. ENGAGING CHILDREN THROUGH SCHOOL AND AFTERSCHOOL SETTINGS IS A VIABLE STRATEGY TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES, BUT FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT, MESSAGING MUST ALSO REACH FAMILIES, TEACHERS, RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS, AND BEYOND. GRADY'S GARDEN INCLUDES THREE CORE COMPONENTS: HEALTHY FOOD PRODUCTS, ANIMATED CARTOON EPISODES THAT CHRONICLE THE LIVES OF DIVERSE CHILDREN WHO CREATE A GARDEN IN THEIR URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD, AND EPISODE-TAILORED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EXTENSIONS (ELES) THAT INCLUDE HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES SUCH AS RECIPES, TASTINGS, WORKSHEETS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. TWO EPISODES WITH ELES HAVE BEEN PILOT-TESTED, DEMONSTRATING PROMISING RESULTS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE GRADY'S GARDEN PROJECT IS TO TRANSLATE THESE CULTURALLY RELEVANT 'EDUTAINMENT' APPROACHES INTO DIGITAL DELIVERY FORMAT [WEB AND MOBILE APPLICATION ('APP') PLATFORMS] TO FACILITATE WIDESPREAD (NATIONAL/GLOBAL) ADOPTION THAT WILL ULTIMATELY IMPROVE CHILDREN'S FV INTAKE AND DIET QUALITY; PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS; AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL WELLNESS. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL: 1) OPERATIONALIZE EXISTING GRADY'S GARDEN CONTENT INTO DIGITAL PLATFORMS FOR FOUR USER GROUPS: CAREGIVERS/PARENTS, TEACHERS, STAFF, AND CHILDREN, AND CONDUCT INITIAL USER TESTING; 2) PRODUCE TWO ADDITIONAL GRADY'S GARDEN EPISODES WITH ELES THAT WILL BE BUILT INTO THE DIGITAL PLATFORM; 3) FIELD-TEST THE FOUR CURRICULUM MODULES IN SCHOOL AND AFTERSCHOOL SETTINGS; AND 4) ANALYZE AND APPLY USER DATA AND FEEDBACK TO INFORM MODIFICATIONS INCLUDING PUSH NOTIFICATIONS TO OPTIMIZE USER ENGAGEMENT. PHASE I AIMS TO DEMONSTRATE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF THESE PLATFORMS AND TOOLS, POISING THE PROJECT FOR A PHASE II APPLICATION TO COMMERCIALIZE THE PROGRAM.