title: Exposure to multiple components of a garden-based intervention for middle school students increases fruit and vegetable consumption.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To measure the effects of different levels of exposure to a multiple-component garden-based intervention on middle school students' fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and related variables and (2) to determine the separate effects of each of the intervention components on F&V consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unequal treatment-control posttest only.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five middle schools in ethnically diverse communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and forty-six adolescents (59% Hispanic; 70% low-income). Intervention. The Sprouting Healthy Kids intervention consists of six components: (1) in-class lessons, (2) after-school gardening program, (3) farm-to-school, (4) farmers' visits to schools, (5) taste testing, (6) field trips to farms.
  
  
  METHODS
  F&V consumption; motivation for eating F&V; self-efficacy for eating F&V; F&V preference; preference for unhealthy foods; knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Linear regression models controlling for gender, ethnicity/race, and income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with students who were exposed to less than two intervention components, students who were exposed to two or more components scored significantly higher on F&V intake, self-efficacy, and knowledge and lower on preference for unhealthy foods (p < .05). The farmers' visits, taste testing, and cafeteria components had the largest effect sizes but were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions targeting adolescent F&V behavior change should include multiple components such as farmers' visits to the school and taste testing.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ranjit
authors.forename: Ronda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rutledge
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smiley
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stigler
authors.forename: Deanna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoelscher
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005638:Fruit; D051639:Gardening; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014675:Vegetables