Family Ties to Health Program: A Randomized Intervention to Improve Vegetable Intake in Children

Abstract 

Objective

Evaluate a home-based intervention targeted toward parents to improve vegetable intake in preschool-aged children.

Methods

Four-month feasibility study of home-based intervention consisting of 4 tailored newsletters and 2 motivational phone calls compared to control; 4 children's books for the control group; and measured pre and post parent-reported physical and social home environment and child vegetable intake in 22 intervention and 21 control homes with a child 2-5 years old assessed with linear regression of group predicting home environment and diet characteristics post-intervention, adjusting for baseline (P < .05 significant).

Results

Intervention increased availability of vegetables (+1.5 ± 2.5 vegetable types vs -0.3 ± 2.7 vegetable types, P = .02), offering fruits and vegetables for snacks (+0.95 ± 1.5 d/wk vs -0.05 ± 1.9 d/wk, P = .04), and self-efficacy (+2.4 ± 4.1 vs -0.3 ± 2.0, P = .02).

Conclusions and Implications

The data suggest potential for home-based interventions to alter parent behaviors such as feeding practices and the home physical environment, which may be steps toward increasing vegetable intake in children.

Key Words: vegetable consumption, parent feeding practices, preschool-aged children