Table 1 Description of process evaluation measures, outcomes and covariates included in the analyses
Intervention component or item | Respondent | Question/measure | Response categories/codes | Range (continuous variables) and categories (categorical) of variables used in the results and analyses | Time of assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Process evaluations measure: dose delivered | |||||
Parental newsletter | School coordinators | “During this school year, Boost emailed six parental newsletters for the Boost coordinator to post them on the school’s website. How many of these were posted?” | 1) None of the newsletters 2) One newsletter 3) Two newsletters 4) Three newsletters 5) Four newsletters 6) Five newsletters 7) Six newsletters | 1) 0/missing 2) 1–3 newsletters 3) 4–6 newsletters | Follow-up |
Student/parent curricular activities | Students | Students were presented with a short description of each Boost curricular activity and were asked to rate how much the liked each of the activities. | I did not do this activity or Rating the activity from 0 (worst) to 10 (best) | Each activity rated by the student counted as one activity delivered to the student. Guided student parent activities: 0–3 | Follow-up |
Students/parent Boost event | Students | Students were presented with a short description of each Boost curricular activity and were asked to rate how much the liked each of the activities. | I did not do this activity or Rating the activity from 0 (worst) to 10 (best) | Student-parent event: yes/no | Follow-up |
The parent-school meeting | Boost research team | The Boost research team presented the intervention at 19 og the 20 intervention schools. At the last school, the teacher reported that boost was presented at the meeting. | Presentation of the Boost study at the parent-school meeting: yes/no | Follow-up | |
Process evaluation measure: dose received | |||||
Parental newsletter | Parents | “Have you seen that there have been parental newsletters from the Boost study on the school’s website during 7th grade?” “How many of them (the newsletters) have you read” | Yes No I do not have access to the school’s website 1) None of the newsletters 2) One newsletter 3) Two newsletters 4) Three newsletters 5) Four newsletters 6) Five newsletters 7) Six newsletters | 1) Yes 2) No/I do not have access to the school’s website 1) 0/missing 2) 1–3 newsletters 3) 4–6 newsletters | Follow-up |
Student/parent curricular activities | Parents | Parents were presented with a short description of each of the guided student-parent curricular activity and were asked if they completed or discussed this activity together with their child. E.g. “The activity “availability in the family” is a Boost homework activity, where the students should register availability of FV in their home. Have you, together with your child, completed or discussed this activity?” | Example of response categories for the activity concerning availability of FV in the family. Similar response categories were given for the other guided student-parent curricular activity. 1) I do not know of this activity 2) No, we did not do the activity together 3) Yes, we talked about the availability of FV at home 4) Yes, we discussed the questions in the Boost student workbook. | Each activity with at least one parent replying 3 or 4 counted as one activity received. The sum of activities received by parents ranged from 0 to 3 activities. | Follow-up |
Students/parent Boost event | Parents | “Have you participated in a student-parent Boost event, where your child’s school class presented some of the activities they have done in the Boost project?” | 1) I do not know if there has been such an event 2) The school did not host such an event 3) No, I did not participate 4) No, but another member of the family participated 5) Yes, I participated | At least one parent participated: 1) Yes: One or both parents responded “Yes, I participated” 2) No: None of the parents responded “Yes, I participated” | Follow-up |
The parent-school meeting | Parents | “Did you learn about the Boost study at the first parent-school meeting during 7th grade?” | 1) I do not know of any parent-school meeting/there was no parent-school meeting 2) No, I did not participate in the meeting 3) No, there was no information about the Boost study at the meeting 4) Yes, a teacher/Boost team member introduced the study 5) Do not know | At least one parent heard about boost at the meeting: 1) Yes: One or both parents responded “Yes, a teacher/Boost team member introduced the study”) 2) No: None of the parents responded “Yes, a teacher/Boost team member introduced the study” | Follow-up |
Process evaluation measure: appreciation | |||||
Overall | Parents | “What did you think of the Boost study all in all?” | 1) I liked it very much 2) I liked it somewhat 3) I did not like it 4) I do not know | 1) I liked it very much 2) I liked it somewhat 3) I did not like it 4) I do not know | Follow-up |
Parental newsletters | Parents | Parents were asked to rate their level of agreement with four statements about the parental newsletters. “The newsletters have given me tips on how I can serve more fruits to my family “ “The newsletters have given me tips on how I can serve more vegetables to my family” “The newsletters informed me of things that I did not already know” “The newsletters reminded me of things I already knew” | 1) Fully agree 2) Agree 3) Neither agree nor disagree 4) Disagree 5) Totally disagree | 1) Fully agree/agree 2) Neither agree nor disagree/disagree/totally disagree | Follow-up |
Outcome measure | |||||
Student-reported total daily intake of FV | Students | 24-h recall questionnaire based on detailed questions on yesterday’s intake of FV at three different times of the day. The fruit measure included max 100 g juice. Potatoes were excluded. Exclusion of outliers >1200 g/d | Number of portions and pieces of different fruits and vegetables | 0-1200 g | Follow-up |
Covariate: FV intake at baseline | |||||
Student-reported total daily intake of FV | Students | 24-h recall questionnaire based on detailed questions on yesterday’s intake of FV at three different times of the day. The fruit measure included max 100 g juice. Potatoes were excluded. Exclusion of outliers >1200 g/d | Number of portions and pieces of different fruits and vegetables | 0-1200 g | Baseline |
Covariate: Dose delivered of other intervention components | |||||
Provision of FV at school | Teachers | “How often do you cut up FV when students eat FV during your lessons?” | 1) Every time 2) Most times 3) Some times 4) Seldom 5) Never | School-level dose: proportion of teachers at each school cutting up FV every time/most times students eat FV in class 1) ≤50 % (reference group) 2) >50 % | Follow-up |
Curricular component | Teachers | “Which of the Boost curricular activities from the teacher manual mentioned below did you teach during the Boost intervention period September 2010–May 2011?” | List of all Boost curricular activities to tick off (listed by number and name consistent with teacher manuals) | School-level dose: average number of Boost curricular activities delivered by teachers at each school Low (0–3.8) (reference group) Medium (3.9–6.7) High (≥6.8) | Follow-up |
Covariate: sociodemographic | |||||
Gender | Students | “Are you a boy or a girl?” | 1) Boy 2) Girl | 1) Boy 2) Girl | Baseline |
Family educational level | Parents | “Which school education do you have?” “Which vocational education do you have?” (If you have more than one, please tick off the highest level of education) | Based on completed education, mothers and fathers were categorized into one of seven educational categories using national coding principles. 1) Enrolled in education 2) Primary school 3) Manual education 4) Low theoretical education 5) Medium high theoretical 6) Education 7) High theoretical education | Family educational level was based on the highest ranking parent. Unclassifiable parents were excluded. 1) High education: 7 2) Medium high education: 6 3) Low education/none: 1–4 (reference group) | Baseline |
Family structure | Students | “Who do you live with? If you live in more than one place or with more adults, you may give several replies” | 1) My mom, who lives without a partner 2) My dad, who lives without a partner 3) My mom and her new partner 4) My dad and his new partner 5) Both my mom and dad all the time 6) My grandmother 7) My grandfather 8) In an orphanage or foster home 9) With other adults (write whom) | In the case of multiple responses, living with both mother and father overruled other responses, and living with mother overruled living with father. 1) Live with two adults:3,4,5 2) Live in single parent family:1,2 Only three students have responded 6–9 and these were coded excluded from the analyses. | Baseline |
Mothers country of birth | Students | “Is your mother born in Denmark?” “In what country is your mother born?” | 1) Yes 2) No 3) Don’t know Drop down list of all countries. | 1) Denmark 2) Other country | Baseline |