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The impact of a school-based nutrition education intervention on dietary intake and cognitive and attitudinal variables relating to fruits and vegetables

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

AS Anderson ,
LEG Porteous ,
E Foster ,
C Higgins ,
M Stead ,
M Hetherington ,
M-A Ha  and
AJ Adamson
AS Anderson*
Affiliation:
Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
LEG Porteous
Affiliation:
Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
E Foster
Affiliation:
Human Nutrition Research Centre, School of Clinical Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle, UK
C Higgins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, UK
M Stead
Affiliation:
Centre for Social Marketing, University of Strathclyde, UK
M Hetherington
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, UK
M-A Ha
Affiliation:
Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY, UK
AJ Adamson
Affiliation:
Human Nutrition Research Centre, School of Clinical Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Objective

To assess the impact of a school-based nutrition education intervention aimed at increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Design

The intervention programme increased the provision of fruits and vegetables in schools and provided a range of point-of-purchase marketing materials, newsletters for children and parents, and teacher information. Curriculum materials at age 6–7 and 10–11 years were also developed and utilised. Evaluation was undertaken with groups of younger (aged 6–7 years) and older (aged 10–11 years) children. Methods included 3-day dietary records with interview and cognitive and attitudinal measures at baseline, with follow-up at 9 months, in intervention and control schools.

Setting

The work was undertaken in primary schools in Dundee, Scotland.

Subjects

Subjects comprised 511 children in two intervention schools with a further 464 children from two schools acting as controls.

Results

Children (n = 64) in the intervention schools had an average increase in fruit intake (133±1.9 to 183±17.0 g day-1) that was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the increase (100±11.7 to 107±14.2 g day-1) estimated in children (n = 65) in control schools. No other changes in food or nutrient intake were detected. Increases in scores for variables relating to knowledge about fruits and vegetables and subjective norms were also greater in the intervention than in the control group, although taste preferences for fruits and vegetables were unchanged.

Conclusions

It is concluded that a whole school approach to increasing intakes of fruits and vegetables has a modest but significant effect on cognitive and attitudinal variables and on fruit intake.

Keywords

FruitVegetablesChildrenSchool
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 8 , Issue 6 , September 2005 , pp. 650 - 656
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2005

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