Farm to school programs impact fruit and vegetable consumption among girls and boys

INTRODUCTION: Childhood overweight and obesity is affecting American youth at an increasing rate. Children who eat more fruits and vegetables may have a lower risk of overweight. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) provides a framework of how to change children's dietary preferences and behaviors. Farm-To-School (FTS) programs incorporate many of the key elements of the SCT and are one intervention that schools are using to address the obesity epidemic. A 2010 evaluation of FTS programs in Vermont provides data on how FTS interventions affect fruit and vegetable consumption among 9-13 year olds. METHODS: A pen and pencil survey was administered with adult supervision to 632 Vermont students at ten schools with FTS programs. Cluster analysis and structural equation modeling was used to determine whether and how component variables of the SCT influence children's likelihood of meeting dietary guidelines. Further analysis investigated whether and how gender influences the impact of each variable in the SCT model. RESULTS: Preliminary analysis indicates that social norms and self-efficacy are two areas to target in farm to school interventions to influence dietary changes, parental influence has a strong effect, and the effect of social norms influence the behavior of boys and girls differently. DISCUSSION: Components of FTS programs play a role in influencing children's dietary behaviors related to fruit and vegetable consumption. This evaluation provides a step toward understanding which interventions are likely to influence fruit and vegetable consumption and suggests that different interventions might be needed to influence consumption behaviors of boys versus girls.