The Family Meal Project

The N.I.C.E lab team collaborated on the Family Meal Project with Dr. Stacey Frazier from the FIU Psychology Department and Dr. Adriana Campa from Dietetics and Nutrition.

The aim of this USDA-NIFA funded project was to develop and examine a family-focused nutrition ecosystem intervention that leverages parents as agents of change to improve children’s diet behavior and minimize risks for child obesity. The intervention incorporated Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) with PRIDE skills to encourage harmonious family meals between parents and their children. Parents were paired with meal coaches (our very own masters level lab members) to discuss family priorities surrounding mealtime. Individualized goals were set to tackle personal family mealtime hurdles focused around barriers, family interaction and eating behaviors.