Bringing WISE Home: Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Preschool Nutrition Curriculum in Rural Home Visits

OBJECTIVE: (WISE) curriculum in home visiting METHODS: We conducted a nonrandomized pilot trial with baseline and 6-month follow-up in Parents as Teachers programs in 2 rural counties. Eleven home visitors and 46 families with children aged 3-5 years participated. Intervention visitors delivered 6 monthly WISE lessons; controls received standard services. Outcomes included implementation measures, home visitor confidence, and parent and child fruit and vegetable intake via Veggie Meter. Linear regression tested intervention effects, controlling for baseline. RESULTS: Home visitors reported positive acceptability (3.56), feasibility (3.25), and appropriateness (3.22). Fidelity was moderate to high, with hands-on exposure observed in all lessons. The intervention was associated with child Veggie Meter scores (β = 0.43, P = 0.007), yielding an 18.2% increase vs no change in controls; no effect was observed for parents (β = 0.21, P = 0.20). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Together, We Inspire Smart Eating was feasible and acceptable in home visiting with promising effects.