Design of "High 5": a school-based study to promote fruit and vegetable consumption for reduction of cancer risk.
BACKGROUND
This paper describes the methods used in "High 5," a school-based study to increase fruit and vegetable consumption for cancer risk reduction.


METHODS
Twenty-eight elementary schools were matched and randomized to intervention or control conditions. All students were assessed based on diet and psychosocial variables at baseline and one and two years post-baseline. The intervention included classroom, parent, and environmental components.


RESULTS
The study recruited 1,698 families and retained 85%. The two conditions were equivalent at baseline; 50% female students, 81% to 84% European-American students, and 2.9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Good completion was achieved across the intervention components (e.g., 90% of lessons taught, 72% of parent materials read, 3.6 servings of fruit and vegetables offered in cafeterias).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of school-based programs, with strong evaluation designs, will enhance knowledge about the modification of nutrition behavior and cancer risk in children. Lessons learned from the study are reported.
Reynolds
K D
KD
Department of Health Behavior, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA. kreynolds@hb.soph.uab.edu
Raczynski
J M
JM
Binkley
D
D
Franklin
F A
FA
Duvall
R C
RC
Devane-Hart
K
K
Harrington
K F
KF
Caldwell
E
E
Jester
P
P
Bragg
C
C
Fouad
M
M
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005522:Food Services; D005638:Fruit; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012931:Social Environment; D014675:Vegetables