The impact of nutrition education with and without a school garden on knowledge, vegetable intake and preferences and quality of school life among primary-school students.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impact of school garden-enhanced nutrition education (NE) on children's fruit and vegetable consumption, vegetable preferences, fruit and vegetable knowledge and quality of school life.


METHODS
Quasi-experimental 10-week intervention with nutrition education and garden (NE&G), NE only and control groups. Fruit and vegetable knowledge, vegetable preferences (willingness to taste and taste ratings), fruit and vegetable consumption (24 h recall × 2) and quality of school life (QoSL) were measured at baseline and 4-month follow-up.


METHODS
Two primary schools in the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia.


METHODS
A total of 127 students in Grades 5 and 6 (11-12 years old; 54 % boys).


RESULTS
Relative to controls, significant between-group differences were found for NE&G and NE students for overall willingness to taste vegetables (P < 0·001) and overall taste ratings of vegetables (P < 0·001). A treatment effect was found for the NE&G group for: ability to identify vegetables (P < 0·001); willingness to taste capsicum (P = 0·04), broccoli (P = 0·01), tomato (P < 0·001) and pea (P = 0·02); and student preference to eat broccoli (P < 0·001) and pea (P < 0·001) as a snack. No group-by-time differences were found for vegetable intake (P = 0·22), fruit intake (P = 0·23) or QoSL (P = 0·98).


CONCLUSIONS
School gardens can impact positively on primary-school students' willingness to taste vegetables and their vegetable taste ratings, but given the complexity of dietary behaviour change, more comprehensive strategies are required to increase vegetable intake.
Morgan
Philip J
PJ
School of Education, Faculty of Education & Arts, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. Phil.Mohr@csiro.au
Warren
Janet M
JM
Lubans
David R
DR
Saunders
Kristen L
KL
Quick
Garbrielle I
GI
Collins
Clare E
CE
D002648:Child; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education*; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D005638:Fruit; D051639:Gardening; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables