Examining the effect of gardening on vegetable consumption among youth in kindergarten through fifth grade.
BACKGROUND
Funded by a grant from the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings the objective of this study was to determine if the introduction of a school-wide gardening program would affect overall vegetable consumption among elementary school youth. The study's setting was Elmore Elementary, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1 of 27 elementary schools in the Green Bay Area Public School District.


METHODS
The school's salad bar was used to measure changes in vegetable consumption during school lunch. School food service staff recorded the weight of vegetables selected from the salad bar. The daily total weight of vegetables selected from the salad bar was divided by the number of students purchasing lunch that day. The resulting factor (average grams per child) was charted to monitor changes in consumption. After approximately 10 weeks of data collection, a gardening program was introduced. Food service staff continued to record weights, allowing for a quantitative analysis of the group's consumption prior to, during, and postintervention.


RESULTS
Selection of vegetables from the salad bar decreased (r = -.403) during the first 2 1/2 months of the study. During the intervention period, selection increased (r = .3940) and continued to show a slight rise postintervention (r = .2037).


CONCLUSIONS
The negative trend in daily salad bar selection before intervention was reversed, and a steady increase per day was seen during the intervention period. This suggests that intervention helped increase consumption rates per student. Consumption continued to increase postintervention, although at a lesser rate than during intervention. The average daily value also showed a slight increase between intervention and postintervention. This suggests that gardening intervention lessons and activities were retained by the students after the lessons and activities were completed.
Wright
William
W
Brown County UW-Extension, Green Bay, WI 54302, USA. wright_wp@co.brown.wi.us
Rowell
Laura
L
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services; D051639:Gardening; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D014675:Vegetables / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D014922:Wisconsin