(P30-055-24) Study Protocol – In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) to Assess Barriers and Facilitators of Whole-Grain Consumption Among Children in Thailand

Objectives: To probe potential barriers and facilitators that impact students’ whole-grain consumption in Thai elementary schools by interviewing key stakeholders at elementary schools and the Department of Nutrition at a university in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.

Methods: This pilot study will interview key stakeholders in Thai elementary schools and at a university who are knowledgeable of schoolchildren’s diet and food systems surrounding grain consumption in Thailand. Purposive sampling will be used to engage a maximum of 30 interviewees. Subjects’ eligibility criteria are 1) work at the pre-specified Thai elementary schools and the university, 2) age ≥18, 3) proficiency in Thai or English, 4) ability to complete the IDI, 5) consent to record and transcribe their voice, and 6) willingness to participate. Informed consent will be obtained before the IDIs.

One-on-one IDIs will be conducted. IDI guides designed based on the Integrative Behavioral Model constructs will be used to probe interviewees’ perceptions of potential barriers and facilitators to promoting whole-grain consumption among schoolchildren, including health benefits and sensory properties, students’ attitudes toward whole grains, and school teachers’ and staff’s skills in identifying and preparing whole grains in Thai school settings.

Interviewees’ sociodemographic data will be collected and analyzed descriptively. A deductive approach underlined by the constructivist investigation assumption will be used for coding and identifying latent themes regarding barriers and facilitators affecting students’ whole-grain consumption in Thai elementary schools.

Results: N/A

Conclusions: The primary outcomes of this study will be multidisciplinary professionals’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to switching refined grains in school meals to whole grains in Thai elementary schools. The overall goal is to gain insights into increasing children and adolescents’ whole-grain consumption in Thai school settings.

Funding Sources: The funding source is the discretionary fund from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.