title: LA sprouts randomized controlled nutrition and gardening program reduces obesity and metabolic risk in Latino youth.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effects of a 12-week gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention ("LA Sprouts") on dietary intake, obesity parameters, and metabolic disease risk among low-income, primarily Hispanic/Latino youth in Los Angeles.
  
  
  METHODS
  The randomized controlled trial involved four elementary schools [two schools randomized to intervention (172 third-through fifth-grade students); two schools randomized to control (147 third-through fifth-grade students)]. Classes were taught in 90-minute sessions once a week to each grade level for 12 weeks. Data collected at pre- and postintervention included dietary intake via food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), anthropometric measures [BMI, waist circumference (WC)], body fat, and fasting blood samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LA Sprouts participants had significantly greater reductions in BMI z-scores (0.1-vs. 0.04-point decrease, respectively; P = 0.01) and WC (-1.2 cm vs. no change; P < 0.001). Fewer LA Sprouts participants had the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) after the intervention than before, while the number of controls with MetSyn increased. LA Sprouts participants had improvements in dietary fiber intake (+3.5% vs. -15.5%; P = 0.04) and less decreases in vegetable intake (-3.6% vs. -26.4%; P = 0.04). Change in fruit intake before and after the intervention did not significantly differ between LA Sprouts and control subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LA Sprouts was effective in reducing obesity and metabolic risk.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyles & Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.|Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.|Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spruijt-Metz
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jaimie N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000383:Agriculture / Q000193:education; D001294:Attitude to Health; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D005260:Female; D051639:Gardening / Q000193:education*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology