title: Family ties to health program: a randomized intervention to improve vegetable intake in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate a home-based intervention targeted toward parents to improve vegetable intake in preschool-aged children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four-month feasibility study of home-based intervention consisting of 4 tailored newsletters and 2 motivational phone calls compared to control; 4 children's books for the control group; and measured pre and post parent-reported physical and social home environment and child vegetable intake in 22 intervention and 21 control homes with a child 2-5 years old assessed with linear regression of group predicting home environment and diet characteristics post-intervention, adjusting for baseline (P < .05 significant).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intervention increased availability of vegetables (+1.5 ± 2.5 vegetable types vs -0.3 ± 2.7 vegetable types, P = .02), offering fruits and vegetables for snacks (+0.95 ± 1.5 d/wk vs -0.05 ± 1.9 d/wk, P = .04), and self-efficacy (+2.4 ± 4.1 vs -0.3 ± 2.0, P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest potential for home-based interventions to alter parent behaviors such as feeding practices and the home physical environment, which may be steps toward increasing vegetable intake in children.
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. rtabak@gwbmail.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Rachel G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Tabak
authors.forename: Deborah F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Tate
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Siega-Riz
authors.forename: Dianne S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010174:Pamphlets; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables