Funded Projects

Nutrition Education for Hospitalized Children

Project Year

2025

City & State

Providence, Rhode Island

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Nutrition

Program Description

The Problem  In the United States, ultra-processed foods account for two-thirds of all calories consumed by youth, with rates of consumption reaching even higher levels among children from disadvantaged backgrounds (Chavez-Ugalde et al., 2024; Reynolds, 2021). Increased consumption of ultra-processed foods amongst children is linked to elevated body fat and a heightened risk of cardiometabolic diseases, contributing to the higher prevalence of obesity and obesity-related comorbidities observed in disadvantaged youth (Chung, 2018; Khoury, 2024). Food insecurity can exacerbate these risks, often leading to an overreliance on highly palatable but energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods (Ziso, 2022).   Primary Setting  The primary setting for our proposed project is the general inpatient wards at Hasbro Children’s in Providence, Rhode Island. Hasbro is a pediatric hospital that serves the greater Rhode Island/Southeastern Massachusetts community. Large sections of Hasbro’s service area, including the surrounding South Providence area, are considered low-income and classified as low food access by the USDA due to being located more than half of a mile from the nearest grocery store (RI Food Policy Council, 2023).   Number of Children Affected  In Rhode Island, 41% of households with at least one child reported experiencing food insecurity (RI Kids Count, 2023). This issue is even more pronounced amongst low income households, of which 65% are considered food insecure. Many lower income communities lack full service grocery stores and farmers’ markets; hence, community members may shop at alternative establishments that offer limited selections of fresh and nutrient-dense foods.   Project Goal   In partnership with SNAP-Ed, our CATCH project aims to educate 50 hospitalized children (ages 4 to 8) and their caregivers on nutritious alternatives to ultra-processed foods. In particular, we seek to provide family-centered strategies to navigate barriers to healthy eating—such as offering resources to address food insecurity and supporting “choosy eaters” in trying new foods—thereby enhancing caregivers’ self-efficacy in implementing nutrition recommendations. Given our innovative approach to delivering nutrition education in the inpatient pediatric hospital setting, we are also interested in evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of this approach.  Proposed Intervention  Our team’s proposed intervention involves implementing nutrition education resources in the inpatient setting at the Hasbro Children’s. Provided educational resources, developed in partnership with Rhode Island SNAP-Ed, will be based around the themes of trying new foods, “eating the rainbow,” and eating balanced meals as guided by the use of MyPlate. Resources will include an educational video as well as interactive games, activities, and books that reinforce our program’s key learning points. The inpatient Child Life team will help to facilitate learning experiences using these materials with hospitalized children and their families.    Anticipated Outcomes  Our anticipated outcomes include: 1) increasing families’ knowledge of local resources addressing food insecurity, which is a potential barrier to accessing nutritious foods; 2) enhancing caregivers’ self-efficacy in incorporating nutrient-dense foods into their child’s daily diet as an alternative to ultra-processed foods, including by offering practical strategies for introducing new foods to “choosy eaters.” We plan to assess these anticipated outcomes through surveys completed by families participating in the pilot program. In addition, we will evaluate the acceptability of delivering this nutrition-related information in the inpatient setting.

Project Goal

To develop engaging, age-appropriate educational materials in collaboration with SNAP-Ed, designed to teach nutrition concepts to 50 hospitalized children ages 4–8 at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The materials will be delivered by the Child Life team and will also aim to enhance caregivers' knowledge and self-efficacy in overcoming barriers to accessing and incorporating nutrient-dense foods into their children’s diets. 

Project Objective 1

To recruit 50 hospitalized children ages 4-8 years to participate in the pilot program during Fall 2025-Winter 2026.

Project Objective 2

To assess the acceptability of providing nutrition-related educational materials and community-based resources to hospitalized families by collecting feedback through surveys completed by participating families (Fall 2025–Winter 2026) and input from the Child Life team implementing the activities at the bedside. 

Project Objective 3

To evaluate project outcomes by administering surveys to participating caregivers during Fall 2025–Winter 2026, focusing on: 1) self-reported knowledge of local resources addressing food insecurity, and 2) self-efficacy in implementing strategies to incorporate nutrient-dense foods into their child’s daily diet as an alternative to ultra-processed foods. We aim for at least 70% of surveyed caregivers to exhibit self-reported improvements in knowledge and self-efficacy in the aforementioned areas. 

AAP District

District I

Institutional Name

Hasbro Children's

Contact 1

Emily Davis, MD, MEd