Impact of a school-based food garden on attitudes and identification skills regarding vegetables and fruit : a 12-month intervention trial


Autoria(s): Somerset, Shawn; Markwell, Katherine
Data(s)

2009

Resumo

Objective To determine changes in ability to identify specific vegetables and fruits, and attitudes towards vegetables and fruit, associated with the introduction of a school-based food garden. Design A 12-month intervention trial using a historical control (control n 132, intervention n 120), class-based, self-administered questionnaires requiring one-word answers and 3-point Likert scale responses. Setting A state primary school (grades 4 to 7) in a low socio-economic area of Brisbane, Australia. Intervention The introduction of a school-based food garden, including the funding of a teacher coordinator for 11 h/week to facilitate integration of garden activities into the curriculum. Main outcome measures Ability to identify a series of vegetables and fruits, attitudes towards vegetables and fruit. Analysis Frequency distributions for each item were generated and χ2 analyses were used to determine statistical significance. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to detect major trends in data. Results The intervention led to enhanced ability to identify individual vegetables and fruits, greater attention to origins of produce (garden-grown and fresh), changes to perceived consumption of vegetables and fruits, and enhanced confidence in preparing fruit and vegetable snacks, but decreased interest in trying new fruits. Conclusions The introduction of this school-based food garden was associated with skill and attitudinal changes conducive to enhancing vegetable and fruit consumption. The ways in which such changes might impact on dietary behaviours and intake require further analysis.

Formato

application/pdf

Identificador

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/62837/

Publicador

Cambridge University Press

Relação

http://eprints.qut.edu.au/62837/1/Impact_of_a_school-based_food_garden_on_attitudes_and_identification_skills_regarding_vegetables_and_fruit_a_12-month_intervention_trial.pdf

DOI:10.1017/S1368980008003327

Somerset, Shawn & Markwell, Katherine (2009) Impact of a school-based food garden on attitudes and identification skills regarding vegetables and fruit : a 12-month intervention trial. Public Health Nutrition, 12(2), pp. 214-221.

Direitos

Copyright 2009 The Author(s)

Fonte

Faculty of Health; Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation

Palavras-Chave #111104 Public Nutrition Intervention #fruit #vegetables #food knowledge #schools #community gardening
Tipo

Journal Article