Abstract
Objective
To examine the effects of a school garden on children's fruit and vegetable knowledge,
preference, and consumption.
Design
Self-report questionnaires, interview-style taste and rate items, lunchroom observations.
Setting
An elementary school.
Participants
Second-grade students (n = 115).
Intervention
Participants were assigned to one of 3 groups: (1) nutrition education and gardening
(NE+G) treatment group, (2) nutrition education only (NE) treatment group, or (3)
control group (CG). Both treatment groups received classroom instruction, and the
NE+G group also received a school gardening experience.
Main Outcome Measures
Fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption.
Analysis
Analyses of variance (α = .05).
Results
Participants in the NE+G and NE treatment groups exhibited significantly greater improvements
in nutrition knowledge and taste ratings than did participants in the CG. Moreover,
the NE+G group was more likely to choose and consume vegetables in a lunchroom setting
at post-assessment than either the NE or CG groups.
Conclusions and Implications
School gardens as a component of nutrition education can increase fruit and vegetable
knowledge and cause behavior change among children. These findings suggest that school
administrators, classroom teachers, and nutrition educators should implement school
gardens as a way to positively influence dietary habits at an early age.
Key Words
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessSNEB Member Login
SNEB Members, full access to the journal is a member benefit. Login via the SNEB Website to access all journal content and features.Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Nutrition Education and BehaviorAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Davis school program supports life-long healthy eating habits in children.Calif Agric. 2004; 58: 200-205
- School gardens: can a hands-on teaching tool affect students attitudes and behavior regarding fruits and vegetables?.Hort Tech. 2000; 10: 593-597
- Garden-based nutrition education affects fruit and vegetable consumption in sixth-grade adolescents.J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107: 662-665
- Garden-enhanced nutrition curriculum improves fourth-grade school children's knowledge of nutrition and preferences for some vegetables.J Am Diet Assoc. 2002; 102: 91-93
Pyramid Café. Rosemont, IL: National Dairy Council; 1998.
- Health and Nutrition from the Garden. Golden Ray Series Level 1. College Station, TX: Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University, 2001
- Pizza please: an interactive nutrition evaluation for second- and third-grade students.J Nutr Educ Behav. 2005; 37: 94-95
- Measuring fruit and vegetable preferences among fourth- and fifth-grade students.Prev Med. 1993; 22: 866-879
- Measuring children's food preferences.J Sch Health. 1991; 61: 212-214
- Effects of peer model's food choices and eating behaviors on preschooler's food preferences.Child Dev. 1980; 51 (489-486)
Article info
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Society for Nutrition Education. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
