Implementation strategies: Lessons learned during an e-learning intervention to improve dietary behaviors and feeding practices in Early Childhood Education and Care

Background: Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) centers play an important role in fostering healthy dietary habits. The Nutrition Now project focusing on improving dietary habits during the first 1000 days of life. Central to the project is the implementation of an e-learning resource aimed at promoting feeding practices among staff and healthy dietary behaviours for children aged 0–2 years in ECEC. Implementing new interventions often presents challenges. This study explores ECEC staff views and experiences with selected strategies for implementing Nutrition Now in ECEC centers in a municipality in Norway. Methods: The study is a part of the N utrition Now study, a hybrid type 1 non-randomized controlled trial. The implementation process followed the Dynamic Integrated Evaluation Model (DIEM). Implementation strategies were selected from the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) project and included identify and prepare champions, conduct educational meetings, distribute educational materials, create a learning collaborative , and remind clinicians . ECEC teachers from participating ECEC centers in the intervention municipality were recruited as champions. Short phone interviews were conducted with the champions every three weeks over six months. The interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results: In total, 29 of the invited ECEC centers (53%) participated, and 260 brief interviews (88%) were conducted with champions (n = 37). An evaluation of the feedback from the champions suggests that the five selected implementation strategies were acceptable. Five main themes were developed by qualitative analysis: 1) Being a champion resembles what I already do. 2) Educational meetings are fine but take time. I prefer when peers share experiences. 3) Newsletters were helpful and reminded me, but I do not always have enough time to read. 4) Evaluations have increased my awareness, and we do them informally and formally. 5) The regular phone calls reminded me I could receive support and express my opinion. Conclusion: This study’s findings suggest that several implementation strategies are acceptable for stakeholders in an ECEC e-learning healthy eating intervention. However, time constraints among champions may hinder deep engagement. While the results can inform the scale-up of this and similar interventions, these findings are likely context-dependent, and further investigations are required. Trial registration on June 6, 2022:ISRCTN10694967, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10694967