Planet Munch has evidence from two
The first were conducted in ‘high risk’ children who were either already overweight at risk of becoming so. The second RCT included all preschool children to test the effectiveness of Planet Munch as a preventive programme.
Compared with preschool children not yet taking part in Trim Tots:
· BMI was lower
· Waist circumference was lower
Planet Munch was well accepted and enjoyed by participating families:
· 85% of parents said their understanding of healthy eating had improved
· 75% said they could read and interpret food labels better
· 83% now had a better understanding of food portion sizes
· 90% found all Planet Munch components enjoyable and useful
· All parents said they would participate in the programme again
· All parents said they would recommend Planet Munch to a friend
There were also improvements for activity and food related behaviours after taking part in Planet Munch. Many parents reported positive changes in themselves and their children:
· All parents saw an increase in their child’s physical activity
· 79% cut down on the amount of time their child spends watching TV
· All parents reported improvements in their child’s eating behaviour
· 69% reported greater acceptance of more foods
· 70% said their child ate more servings of fruit per day
· 75% said their child’s liking for fruit increased
· 79% changed their child’s usual snack from juice or sugary drinks to a suitable alternative.
View the abstract here.
What our parents say
‘Very interactive, fun, friendly and informative!’
‘Good activities for the Children and introduced us to new foods’
‘Great food ideas, dance and music sessions’
‘Enjoyed the programme very much.’
‘Very interactive both the parents and the children can enjoy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
What our partners say
‘Many parents ask if they can carry on with Planet Munch because they are enjoying it so much and get so much for the session! Lovely feedback to hear!’
Week 21 – Amy Hageman – Centre Manager
“I couldn’t recommend Trim Tots more, it’s such a great mix of fun crafts, wonderful dancing and useful education.”
Sophie Thurner – Nutritionist
“The nutritional aspect of Trim Tots was extremely comprehensive. Although the nutritional content is packed full of information it is broken down into weekly themes and topics making it easy to absorb and understand. This made learning fun and allowed parents to relate to this information on a personal level making it both easy and realistic to make changes at home.”
Mary McClellan – Director Mums of Steel and Trim Tots employee.
“The information from Planet Munch opened up a World of more cooking at home. My child helped me to prepare dinner and the following week he was eating Broccoli like it was chocolate!”
Parent & steering group member