Download or read book Evaluating the Impact of Local Vegetable Messaging on Elementary School Students Vegetable Choice and Nutrition Behaviors written by Jesse Chiero and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Farm to school (FtS) initiatives within a school setting may include purchase of local foods, nutrition education, and school gardening. Previous FtS research has indicated a positive impact on child nutrition behaviors and body weight but less is known about how and what aspects of local foods within school meals impact child nutrition behaviors. The specific aims of this project were to: 1) Determine which benefit(s) of eating local vegetables are most salient to 3rd-5th grade students for a local vegetable message campaign intervention and compare if message preferences varied by age, gender and school district, and 2) Determine the impact of a local FtS food procurement and messaging intervention on changes in elementary school students' local vegetable choices and nutrition-related behaviors. Using an interactive survey in Phase 1, 3rd-5th grade students (n=202) ranked preferred messages regarding benefits of eating locally grown vegetables (freshness, health/strength, farmers, environment, community/school, and food safety). Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact test results revealed that overall, students preferred messages about strength (p=0.03) and their school (p=0.03). Rural/suburban schools preferred the environment message compared to urban students (p=0.007), male students preferred the strength message compared to females (p=0.02), and older students preferred the fresh taste message compared to younger students (p=0.04). Phase 2 consisted of a quasi-experimental study with three groups of 3rd-5th grade students: Local Message (n=81), Nutrition Message (n=79), and Control (n=79). Local vegetables (beets, butternut squash, zucchini, green beans, and kale) were served twice during lunch over 16 weeks in each group. In addition, bi-weekly nutrition education lessons and a tailored messaging campaign were included in the Local (Strength and School vegetable messages) and Nutrition (MyPlate messages) groups. An ANCOVA with post hoc Tukey analysis revealed students in the Local group had significantly improved vegetable attitudes (p=0.0001), preferences (p=0.001), overall vegetable behavior score (p=0.002), and local beet choice (P=0.004) compared to the control. Overall, the findings from this research provide preliminary evidence that local vegetable messaging in schools cafeterias may improve students' food choices and nutrition behaviors but further research is needed to determine the generalizability of the results.

Download or read book The Evaluation of the Impact of a School based Nutrition Education Program on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Low income Elementary Students written by Melissa S. Holmes and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Application of Valid and Feasible Dietary Assessment Methods to Evaluate the Impact of Policy and Behavioral Interventions on Children s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption written by Sarah Anne Amin and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The majority of U.S. children do not meet recommendations for fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. FV confer numerous health benefits including intake of critical shortfall nutrients, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and maintenance of healthy weights. Identifying both policy and behavioral approaches to increase children's consumption of a variety of FVs has become a public health priority. When evaluating policy and interventions it is integral to apply validated dietary assessment methods to measure FV selection, consumption, and waste. The three aims of this dissertation addressed the feasibility of dietary assessment methods and their application to evaluate policy change and behavioral interventions. Aim 1: Apply validated dietary assessment methods to evaluate the effect of national school lunch policy change on elementary school children's FV consumption. As of the 2012 school year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires school children to select either a fruit or a vegetable with a reimbursable meal. The objective of the first study was to compare children's FV choices in two school cafeteria environments a year before these new USDA regulations took effect. Elementary school (grades 3-5) children's FV choices were measured during Spring 2011 at two northeast elementary schools (NES-A and NES-B). NES-A had a self-serve salad bar, whereas NES-B served pre-portioned FV and pizza daily. Of 555 trays assessed (n=284 NES-A, n=271 NES-B), 15.3% (n=85) had no FV selected. A higher percentage of trays from NES-A had no FV (23.6%, n=67) in comparison to NES-B (6.6%, n=18) (P

Download or read book Journal of the American Dietetic Association written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 1188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Impact of the Use of Produce Grown in an Elementary School Garden on Consumption of Vegetables at School Lunch written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Low consumption of nutrient- and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables has been implicated in the increase in childhood obesity seen over the past two decades. The use of school gardens is a new nutrition education method that may provide some additional benefit in getting children to consume the recommended amount of vegetables. Previous research into the effectiveness of school gardens has shown that they have positive impacts upon children's vegetable preferences, and they can have a positive impact on children's consumption of vegetables at school lunch. However, no research has examined using school garden produce at school lunch to determine if that tactic would have an additional impact on children's consumption of vegetables at school lunch. In this study, a school garden program in Delaware was evaluated for its impact upon program participants' vegetable preferences and consumption of vegetables at school lunch. This study used a quasi-experimental design to examine 252 fourth- and fifth-graders in two schools that have been participating in the garden program and 107 fourth- and fifth-graders in a nearby school that does not have a school garden, as a control group. An 11-item questionnaire was used to examine participants' vegetable preferences and a series of cafeteria observations was completed to determine if using garden produce as the vegetable offering in the school cafeteria leads children to choose to eat that vegetable. Results showed that participants in the school garden program were more willing to try new vegetables after having participated in the program (p = 0.01). Although this study did not find that participation in the school garden program increased the amount of vegetables the participants consumed at school lunch, it did find that using school garden produce as a hook to get children who have worked in the garden to consume that produce at school lunch is a successful tactic to promote vegetable consumption (p

Download or read book Effects of Food Assistance and Nutrition Programs on Nutrition and Health written by Mary Kay Fox and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Agriculture Rural Development Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations for 2000 written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 1558 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Using Community based Participatory Research to Create Sustainable Healthy School Environments and Promote Positive Behavior Changes in School aged Children written by Jacqueline Bergman and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The overarching objective of the research included in this dissertation was to identify program models that support healthy behaviors in school-age children. Special emphasis was given to models and methods that focus on the sustainability of community-based health and wellness programs. Chapter I of this dissertation provides a review of literature that explores the prevalence, definition, consequences, and potential causes of childhood overweight and obesity as well as potential methods, theories, and approaches designed to help ameliorate the problem. This review recognizes obesity as a complex issue and presents a variety of approaches that requires coordinated, multifaceted and collaborative approaches that target not only the individual, but also the whole community. In addition to providing a comprehensive review of behavior change theories and examples of their application in the school setting, this review concludes with a proposed solution to a secondary issue: the long-term sustainability of school-based health and nutrition programs and their outcomes. Chapters II provides a Statement of Purpose for the research discussed in Chapters III through Chapter V. Chapter III describes a study conducted in collaboration with the California Department of Education. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and assess the impact of a statewide professional development program designed to equip school nutrition directors with the knowledge and skills needed to cost-effectively implement federal health and wellness initiatives and policies at the local level. The professional development program was entitled, the "Stepping Up To the Challenge: Creating a Healthy School Environment" and was a unique partnership among state education agency staff, university researchers, and practitioners. Post-professional development questionnaire identified key "insights, inspirations, and strategies" as (a) marketing of school foods pro- gram, (b) expansion of salad bars, and (c) collaboration with community partners. A six-month follow-up questionnaire identified that 86% of participants made progress toward implementing at least one of their five insights, inspirations, and strategies in their school districts. Most common areas that were implemented were marketing and branding (32%), revamping salad bars (18%), and motivating staff (16%). School and Community Actions for Nutrition survey analysis showed a significant increase in the use of marketing methods in school nutrition programs from baseline to six-month post-program implementation (p = .024). The nutritional impact of several of the techniques presented in this program were tested in a farm to school (F2S) project funded by a specialty block grant program sponsored by the California Department of Food and Agriculture described in Chapter IV. Chapter IV describes a study designed to evaluate the impact of F2S programming on dietary behavior outcomes, specifically fruit and vegetable preferences and consumption patterns, among school aged children attending schools in three distinct California school districts. To ensure that the intervention methods were appropriate for each unique school community, the intervention plan was designed in conjunction with school nutrition directors. As an outcome of this study, the surrounding community benefited through the establishment of a sustainable relationship between local farmers and the school nutrition directors. Data collected from a series of behavioral questionnaires and plate waste observations were assessed pre- and post-F2S programming. Results in the small, rural school district showed an increase in the percent of students able to correctly identify asparagus (34.5% to 58.6%; p= 0.02), an increase in the amount of fruit consumed; (53% to 94%; p = 0.01), and an increase in total produce consumed; (59% to 94%; p = 0.01). Results in the medium rural/urban school district showed an increase in the percent of students able to correctly identify red bell pepper (79% to 92%; p = 0.0415). Students increased their consumption of fruit and total produce at follow-up as compared to baseline (25% to 50%; p = 0.04 and 33% to 58%, p = 0.04). Results in the large, urban school district showed an increase in the percent of students able to correctly identify cucumber (39% to 61%; p=0.05). No significant positive changes were observed in student's willingness to taste a feature produce item, with a decrease willingness to taste a radish at the small, rural school district (90% to 62%; p= 0.01). Overall, results showed that limited intervention strategies yielded positive nutrition behavior changes in school-aged children's eating behavior. Results from these findings informed the wellness component of a multi-component project entitled the Shaping Healthy Choices Program. The Shaping Healthy Choices Program is a school-based intervention that integrated five components: nutrition education; family and community partnerships; regional agriculture; foods available on school site; and school wellness policies. The research discussed in Chapter V used a mixed-methods approach to assess the effectiveness of site-specific school wellness committees (SSWCs) to supplement Shaping Healthy Choices Program activities, and create a best practices model for sustainability of SHCP components. Community-Based Participatory Research principles and approaches were utilized to develop SSWC objectives. Baseline results from the School and Community Actions for Nutrition (SCAN) Survey served as a platform to launch SSWC objectives. An ethnographic approach was to analyze the level of community involvement during each phase of the project. The wellness committee was also involved in a smaller research project through which they identified the strengths and weakness of their school environment and implemented activities based on this information. Results from the wellness committee's study were compared with community-based principals in order to draw any relationships with the wellness committee outcomes and the level of community based participation. Results suggested that the more the community was involved in the planning, implementation, and maintenance phases of an activity, the more likely the School Sites were to implement these activities into the second year. More research is needed to assess the sustainability of the program outcomes over a longitudinal course. This dissertation concludes with Chapter VI, a discussion of research results, implications, conclusions, and future directions.

Download or read book The Effects of Nutrition Education on Fruit and Vegetable Selection and Consumption in Elementary School Children written by Katelyn Caslow and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Utilization of Garden based Education to Positively Impact Children s Nutrition Knowledge and Behaviors written by Eric Louis Hazzard and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Incentivizing Children s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption written by Brooke A. Jones and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Researchers in the Psychology Department and the Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Department sought to improve elementary school children0́9s in-school fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. To achieve this goal, a program that has proven effective in the UK called the Food Dudes (FD) program was implemented in six local schools. Schools were assigned to either experience the traditional FD program (with prize rewards, such as pencil cases and bubbles), a modified version of the FD program (with praise rewards replacing the prize rewards), or no FD program (the control group). Students who consumed a pre-specified amount of FV each day during the intervention earned a reward according to the program0́9s schedule. Results showed that students in the Prize schools were consuming more FV than students in the Praise schools and the Control schools at follow-up when the intervention had been removed for six months. While the success of the FD program with prize rewards (i.e., incentives) was encouraging, many teachers reported issues with its implementation. An incentive-based intervention may be difficult for schools to implement due to high labor and material costs, especially without outside assistance. Therefore, we aimed to reduce these costs while maintaining the use of incentives. We developed an intervention based on the principles of gamification in which students earned in-game, virtual rewards for meeting their FV consumption goals each day at school. This intervention was rated favorably by teachers and parents and showed significant increases in school-wide and individual FV consumption in two schools in Logan, UT, but long-term increases were not obtained. Improving children0́9s dietary decisions, namely FV consumption, is an important goal that can positively impact future health. Sustainable, incentive-based interventions, like the school-wide gamification model developed in this project, represent a promising step toward achieving this goal.

Download or read book The Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Education with a School Garden on Kindergarteners Nutrition Knowledge written by Afton Khale Delvecchio and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BACKGROUND: Over 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese in the United States (Nowak, Kolouch, Schneyer, & Roberts, 2012). Only 7% of youth are currently consuming the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables (Krebs-Smith & Cook, 1996). Children are required to receive some sort of schooling, thus schools are utilized as a prime location in the United States for nutrition and health education. It has been found that exposure to and knowledge about food items, such as fruits and vegetables, results with increased intake (Ohri-Vachaspati, Turner, & Chaloupka, 2012). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a nutrition education intervention with a school garden on kindergarten students' attitude and knowledge about fruits and vegetables. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A five-week quasi-experimental study design was used. Three kindergarten classrooms from the same school participated in the study: a control, an education only, and an education with a garden. A total of 62 kindergarten students made up the convenience sample for this study. The study was conducted during April and May of 2013 at Parrish Elementary School in Carbondale, Illinois. The intervention classrooms experienced a half hour nutrition education intervention twice a week, for five weeks. The intervention lessons were based on the Fresh from the Farm curriculum, specifically for the first grade population. The classroom with the garden had an additional hour throughout the week to work and explore a growing garden. The students were given a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for baseline measurement and again after the five week intervention. The students' attitude was measured using a three-point hedonic scale, while nutrition knowledge was measured using three separate matching exercises: fruits and vegetables to color, nutrients, and body parts.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Independent Variables: Demographics, Nutrition Education Intervention. Dependent Variables: Attitudes to Fruits and Vegetables, Nutrition Knowledge. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics were run to evaluate the study's sample. Chi-square test for cross tabulations was used to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of the kindergarten students.RESULTS: Kindergarten students in the garden classroom had a p-value of

Download or read book Eat the Rainbow written by Elizabeth Diane Miller and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Objective: To test differences on mean fruit and vegetable (FV) eaten, liking, preference, and self-efficacy scores among 3 modes of nutrition education intervention after a 3-week intervention. Design: Convenience sample, pre- and post-test, quasi-experimental design. Setting: Three elementary schools in a rural Eastern Tennessee County. Participants: Participants were 160 3rd-5th graders. Interventions: Three study schools: experiential (nutrition education, taste tests, and learning activity), conventional (nutrition education and learning activity), and control (learning activity). Main Outcome Measures: Changes in pre- to post-intervention mean FV eaten, liking, preference, and self-efficacy scores. Analysis: Mixed model ANOVA to compare the mean pre- and post-scores. Significance was set at the 0.05 level. Results: Significant increases for preference by intervention group (p=0.015). Although there were no differences by intervention group, significant increases and decreases from pre- to postintervention were noted for overall FV eaten (p=0.016), liking (p=0.001), and preference (p=.003). Conclusions and Implications: A 3-week school-based nutrition intervention influenced some factors associated with FV consumption. More research is needed to evaluate sustainability and appropriate, practical intervention duration.

Download or read book A Multi component School based Intervention Aimed at Increasing Vegetable Preference and Intake Among Elementary aged Children written by Elizabeth Strasser and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study aimed to implement and assess a school-based multi-component intervention aimed at increasing elementary school-aged children's knowledge of, preference for, and intake of vegetables. The multi-component intervention included lunchroom exposure, nutrition curriculum in the classroom, after school program vegetable curriculum, family friendly nutrition newsletter, vegetable fair and parent cooking class. Lunchtime vegetable consumption was assessed by direct observation. Changes in preference, attitude, and knowledge were assessed using a pre- and post-intervention survey. The multi-component intervention was implemented at Canyon Elementary during the 2008-2009 school year. Classroom teachers provided 20 minutes of nutrition education to students in grades one through five (n=450) once every month from September 2008 through May 2009. Students who participated in the after school program received additional education once a week for three weeks each month. Overall, no significant difference was observed between children's pre- and post-intervention except for their willingness to try new vegetables. Students in grades second and fourth (n=81) were asked to participate in a plate-waste study by allowing researchers to photograph the amount of vegetables they selected and consumed during (p=0.483) second and (p=0.467) fourth pre-intervention and (p=0.71) second and (p=0.34) fourth post-intervention lunch-period. No change in vegetable consumption was observed (p>0.05). Although the intervention was well received by Canyon Elementary administration, teachers, food-service director, and students, we observed not significant changes in the outcomes we assessed. The results of this study are not consistent with other multi-component school-based interventions that have effectively changed diet-related behaviors among children. Additional work in this area at this school should include additional validated outcomes assessments, changes to the selection of vegetables offered to children in school lunch menus, and a stronger parent involvement.

Download or read book The Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Education with a School Garden on Kindergarteners Nutrition Knowledge written by Afton Khale Delvecchio (‡e author) and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BACKGROUND: Over 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese in the United States (Nowak, Kolouch, Schneyer, & Roberts, 2012). Only 7% of youth are currently consuming the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables (Krebs-Smith & Cook, 1996). Children are required to receive some sort of schooling, thus schools are utilized as a prime location in the United States for nutrition and health education. It has been found that exposure to and knowledge about food items, such as fruits and vegetables, results with increased intake (Ohri-Vachaspati, Turner, & Chaloupka, 2012). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a nutrition education intervention with a school garden on kindergarten students' attitude and knowledge about fruits and vegetables. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: A five-week quasi-experimental study design was used. Three kindergarten classrooms from the same school participated in the study: a control, an education only, and an education with a garden. A total of 62 kindergarten students made up the convenience sample for this study. The study was conducted during April and May of 2013 at Parrish Elementary School in Carbondale, Illinois. The intervention classrooms experienced a half hour nutrition education intervention twice a week, for five weeks. The intervention lessons were based on the Fresh from the Farm curriculum, specifically for the first grade population. The classroom with the garden had an additional hour throughout the week to work and explore a growing garden. The students were given a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for baseline measurement and again after the five week intervention. The students' attitude was measured using a three-point hedonic scale, while nutrition knowledge was measured using three separate matching exercises: fruits and vegetables to color, nutrients, and body parts.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Independent Variables: Demographics, Nutrition Education Intervention. Dependent Variables: Attitudes to Fruits and Vegetables, Nutrition Knowledge. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics were run to evaluate the study's sample. Chi-square test for cross tabulations was used to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of the kindergarten students.RESULTS: Kindergarten students in the garden classroom had a p-value of

Download or read book Effect of a Nutrition Intervention on Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Elementary School Students written by Jennifer L. Goodwin and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of Nutrition Education on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption of Elementary School Students written by Constance Evans Herriott and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: