5 a day Achievement Badge for African-American Boy Scouts: pilot outcome results.
BACKGROUND
Boy Scouts are an important channel to complement school-based programs to enable boys to eat more fruit, 100% juice, and vegetables (FJV) for chronic disease prevention. The "5 a Day Achievement Badge" program was presented on a pilot study basis to African-American Boy Scout troops in Houston.


METHODS
Troops were the unit of recruitment and random assignment to treatment and control groups. The badge program was presented in Fall 1997 by trained dietitians and included activities to increase availability and accessibility of fruit and vegetables at scouts' homes, increase preferences for vegetables, and train in the preparation of FaSST (fast, simple, safe, and tasty) recipes. Weekly comic books demonstrated and reinforced what scouts were expected to do at home. A weekly newsletter with recipes was sent to parents. The program was revised and presented to the control group in Winter 1998. Two 24-h recalls were the primary assessment tools. Telephone interviews were conducted with parents.


RESULTS
The intervention resulted in a 0.8 FJV serving difference (post values of treatment versus control groups with pre value covaried).


CONCLUSIONS
The changes obtained suggest that the intervention was effective in promoting dietary change.
Baranowski
Tom
T
Behavioral Nutrition Group, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, Texas 77030-2600, USA. tbaranow@bcm.tmc.edu
Baranowski
Janice
J
Cullen
Karen W
KW
deMoor
Carl
C
Rittenberry
LaTroy
L
Hebert
David
D
Jones
Lovell
L
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D018529:Nutritional Support; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D014481:United States