Optimal Defaults Grocery Shopping Intervention to Promote Healthy Diets for Pediatric Cancer Survivors and Their Families
Pediatric
What this study involves
The registry says this study is recruiting. Individual locations may have different availability.
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Age range
- 2 years - Not specified
- Sex eligible
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Participants
- 160 Estimated
These are starting points, not an eligibility decision. The research team must review the full requirements.
About the research
This clinical trial tests the feasibility, acceptability and effect of an optimal defaults grocery shopping intervention to promote healthy diets for pediatric cancer survivors and their families. Pediatric cancer survivors are a growing population who are at an increased risk of developing chronic conditions and treatment-related complications. Poor nutritional intake can significantly worsen chronic health conditions experienced by survivors. Children who have poorer nutrition post-treatment are at greater risk for cancer recurrence. Interventions that effectively support families in obtaining and consuming healthier food and improve dietary intake are poised to improve developmental outcomes among pediatric cancer survivors. One promising way to impact the family diet is by targeting food purchasing. Optimal defaults, or making the healthy choice the automatic choice, is a specific nudge strategy that may be a feasible, acceptable and effective way to promote healthier food purchasing and dietary intake among pediatric cancer survivors and their families.
Read the full description
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To test the feasibility and acceptability of an optimal defaults grocery shopping intervention among families with a survivor of pediatric cancer.
II. To test effects of the defaults intervention on the nutritional quality, energy content, and cost of household grocery purchases and children's usual dietary intake, including nutritional quality and energy intake, as well as intake of fat, carbohydrates, protein, and added sugar.
IIa. Examine effects of the intervention on dietary intake of the enrolled parent/guardian
OUTLINE:
Families (cancer survivor and their parent/legal guardian) shop for groceries as normal for 2 weeks, using Instacart for at least 75% of shopping, and provide receipts for this shopping. At the end of Week 2, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions. Families are then randomized to 1 of 2 groups.
GROUP 1: Families receive 4 recipes per week for 2 weeks while continuing to record their grocery shopping. Recipe packets include 3 main meal recipes as well as an idea of an additional breakfast/lunch/snack that can be made with leftovers from the main meal recipes, nutritional characteristics of the recipes and some simple nutrition education tips. Recipes options can be assigned depending on families' dietary restrictions and food preferences. At the end of Week 4, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions.
GROUP 2: Families receive 4 recipes per week for 2 weeks, continue to record their grocery shopping, and have their online Instacart grocery carts prefilled with the ingredients needed to make the recipes. Families may make changes to their carts as they like. Recipe packets include 3 main meal recipes as well as an idea of an additional breakfast/lunch/snack that can be made with leftovers from the main meal recipes, nutritional characteristics of the recipes and some simple nutrition education tips. Recipes options can be assigned depending on families' dietary restrictions and food preferences. At the end of Week 4, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions.
Who may be able to participate?
The list below is the sponsor’s full registry wording. It can include conditions, prior treatment, test results and other requirements. A match in search does not mean you qualify.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Parent (or legal guardian) of child that is a survivor of pediatric cancer (any diagnosis)
- Pediatric patient age: 2 ≤ age \< 17 years old at time of study entry
- Child receiving follow-up care at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The child should no longer be receiving active cancer directed therapy at time of enrollment. There is no limit to the time post treatment
- Parent is the primary caregiver of the child. This is defined as being the parent/guardian who is the most aware of the child's daily activities (or one of multiple guardians who are equally aware)
- Parent does at least 50% of the grocery shopping for the family
- Can be current online grocery shopper or willing to online grocery shop during the study, meeting these requirements: ≥ 75% of their grocery shopping from 1 of 4 specific grocery stores via Instacart (Wegmans, Aldi, Tops, and/or Walmart)
- Child eats ≥ 3 main meals at home with the participating parent per week
- Family does not have any dietary restrictions that would preclude them from being able to use at least some recipes in the study's recipe bank. Most dietary restrictions and preferences (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free, allergies to or preferences to avoid particular specific foods) can be accommodated by our large and diverse recipe bank. Only more severe and extensive restrictions would render a family ineligible, such as not being able to eat foods across multiple major food groups
- No history of eating disorders. This includes no history of eating disorders in the participating child's medical record. Parent will also be asked during the screening process to self-report whether or not they have ever been diagnosed with an eating disorder themself
- Participant is not currently receiving supplemental nutritional support such as nasogastric tube (NG), gastrostomy tube (GT) or parenteral support
- Participant is not actively utilizing a medically-tailored meal program, such as RxDiet
- Parent age: \> 18 years-old - NA (No Limit)
- Parent fluent in English
- Participant (or legal representative) must understand the investigational nature of this study and sign an Independent Ethics Committee/Institutional Review Board approved written informed consent form prior to receiving any study related procedure
Exclusion Criteria:
- Parent is unwilling or unable to follow protocol requirements
- Not meeting above inclusion criteria
Treatment, groups and participation
The registry may describe treatments and study duration without a complete visit calendar. Ask the study team for the exact schedule, procedures, risks, costs and alternatives. Keep your usual care plan unless your treating clinician tells you otherwise.
- Assignment
- Random assignment
- Masking
- Single masked
Group 1 - Main Meal Recipes
Families (cancer survivor and their parent/legal guardian) shop for groceries as normal for 2 weeks, using Instacart for at least 75% of shopping, and provide receipts for this shopping. At the end of Week 2, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions. Families receive 4 recipes per week for 2 weeks while continuing to record their grocery shopping. Recipe packets include 3 main meal recipes as well as an idea of an additional breakfast/lunch/snack that can be made with leftovers from the main meal recipes, nutritional characteristics of the recipes and some simple nutrition education tips. Recipe options can be assigned depending on families' dietary restrictions and food preferences. At the end of Week 4, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions.
Other: Dietary Intervention - meal recipes · Other: Informational Intervention · Other: Educational Intervention
Group 2 - Main meal recipes, prefilled grocery cart
Families (cancer survivor and their parent/legal guardian) shop for groceries as normal for 2 weeks, using Instacart for at least 75% of shopping, and provide receipts for this shopping. At the end of Week 2, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions. Families receive 4 recipes per week for 2 weeks, continue to record their grocery shopping, and have their online Instacart grocery carts prefilled with the ingredients needed to make the recipes. Families may make changes to their carts as they like. Recipe packets include 3 main meal recipes as well as an idea of an additional breakfast/lunch/snack that can be made with leftovers from the main meal recipes, nutritional characteristics of the recipes and some simple nutrition education tips. Recipe options can be assigned depending on families' dietary restrictions and food preferences. At the end of Week 4, families meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping concerns
Other: Dietary Intervention - meal recipes · Other: Educational Intervention · Other: Dietary Intervention - prefilled grocery cart
Dietary Intervention - meal recipes OTHER
Receive main meal recipes
Informational Intervention OTHER
Meet with study staff to address any grocery shopping questions
Educational Intervention OTHER
Receive nutrition education tips
Dietary Intervention - prefilled grocery cart OTHER
Receive prefilled online grocery cart
What researchers are measuring
Outcome measures describe what is being studied. They are not proof that a treatment works.
Primary measures
Retention Rate
Time frame: At 4 weeks
Percentage of study cohort who complete the study
Percentage of Interested families Eligible for study
Time frame: At 4 weeks
Feasibility defined as ≥ 50% of interested families being eligible for the study
Percentage of eligible families enrolling in study
Time frame: At week 4
Feasibility defined as ≥ 50% of eligible families enrolling
Percent of enrolled families completing baseline measures and proceeding to randomization
Time frame: At 4 weeks
Feasibility defined as ≥ 90% of enrolled families successfully completing baseline measures and proceeding to randomization
Percentage of randomized families completing the study
Time frame: At 4 weeks
Feasibility defined as ≥ 85% of randomized families completing the study.
Participant reported interest in continuing to engage in program over a longer period of time.
Time frame: At 4 weeks
As reported by participants by Phone call
Secondary measures
Change in household grocery purchases: nutritional quality
Time frame: From baseline to end of study - up to 4 weeks
Nutritional quality will be calculated based on quintiles for each of 13 indicators that correspond to the Healthy Eating Index: total fruit, whole fruit, total vegetables, dark green and legume vegetables, whole grains, dairy, total protein foods, seafood and plant proteins, the ratio of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids, refined grains, sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats. Quintile scores will be summed to generate nutritional quality of grocery purchases each week
Changes in household grocery purchases: energy content
Time frame: UP to 4 weeks
Total energy content of groceries purchased for the household each week
Review the complete result tables and limitations in the official record.
Open official results ↗Research locations (1)
The overall study status and a local site’s status can differ. Confirm that location’s availability before traveling.
1 locations
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer CenterBuffalo, New York, United StatesRecruiting
Study team and timeline
- Lead sponsor
- Roswell Park Cancer Institute
- Study start
- Nov 2, 2026 Estimated
- Primary completion
- Nov 2, 2028 Estimated
- Study completion
- Nov 2, 2029 Estimated
- First posted
- Oct 28, 2026 Actual
- Last updated
- Nov 10, 2026 Actual
Official study contacts
Official study title
Using an Optimal Defaults Grocery Shopping Intervention to Promote Healthy Diets in the Context of Pediatric Cancer Survivorship
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Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Information is submitted by sponsors and investigators. NLM does not approve the safety or science of all listed studies. Registry disclaimer.
Retrieved: Nov 12, 2026 · Last registry update: Nov 10, 2026