Recruitment
CHRONIC DISEASE
Kindergartens were shortlisted based on the following inclusion and exclusion criteria:Inclusion criteria: 20 to 30 children enrolled per yearExclusion criteria: Kindergarten was involved in other clinical trials or health-based intervention projects.Based on the selection criteria above, we obtained a list of the kindergartens in Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, and Kuching, Sarawak from the supervisors of Early Childhood Education of the Community Development Department, Ministry of Rural and Regional Development Malaysia. The kindergartens in these three localities were then randomly selected based on three blocks (suburban and urban-poor: Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, rural area: Sarawak). The selected kindergartens were further randomized into intervention and control groups. No dropout of kindergarten occurred after randomization. After that, the study team visited each selected kindergarten to inform the kindergarten teachers about the purpose of the study.In each kindergarten, a universal sampling of the children was done. All children enrolled in the participating kindergartens were automatically recruited in the study based on the following inclusion and exclusion criteria:Inclusion criteria: Children aged between 4 and 7 yearsExclusion criteria: Children with chronic disease, cognitive improvement, or other conditions that limit their participation.The children would not know whether they were in the intervention or control group. Once they were identified, the parents/primary caregivers of the children were invited to a briefing on the purpose of the study before they provided written informed consent for study participation. In addition, trained research assistants were also blinded to the group allocation in all data collection, including anthropometric measurement.