Abstract:

1. Fruit and Vegetable Intake is Not Affected by Nutrition Education in a School SettingMeghan Colangelo RD, LD • (Discussion, continued): • The children met the required amount of f/v servings/day, as recommended by the USDA (3-5 cups combined), on both the pre and post tests(satisfactory intakes to begin with). • Using a FFQ always holds the risk that the participant fills it out according to what they think the researcher wants to know, or what the participant would like their intake to be (rather than what it actually is). • Conclusions: • The researcher cannot conclude that providing nutrition education in a school setting will increase the f/v intake of elementary-aged children. • Although the results of this study do not support the goal of the researcher, nutrition education in a school setting can still be an effective method for helping children become more aware of their diet and how it affects their health. • Literature Cited: • 1. United States Senate, One Hundred Tenth Congress: Second Session on Examining Childhood Obesity, Focusing on the Declining Health of America’s Next Generation (Part 1). July 16, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2010 from http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps121404/pt1.pdf. • 2. Deckelbaum, R., Williams, C. (2001). Childhood obesity: the health issue. Obesity Research, 9(4), 239-242. •  3. Bachman, E., et. Al. (2010). A school-based intervention for diabetes risk reduction. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(18), 443-453. • 4. HSPH Nutrition Department File Download’s Site: https://regepi.bwh.harvard.edu/health/KIDS/files/03.%20Youth%20Adolescent%20Food%20Frequency%20Questionnarie/1.%20English%20-%20YouthAdolescent%20Food%20Frequency%20Questionnaire.pdf • Abstract: • Nearly one out of every three of America’s children is obese or is at the risk of becoming obese, 25 million children in all. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate the effects of nutrition education, focusing solely on fruit and vegetable intake, with elementary-aged children in a school setting. The 12 female participants were third grade students, ages 8-9, at a local elementary school. The entire project was 4 weeks in duration and the researcher visited the site one time per week. To analyze all data found in this project, descriptive statistics were used to measure the average daily intakes of fruits and vegetables and the children’s knowledge at the beginning and end of the project as well as the differences between the two. A paired t-test was also used to determine the significance of the results found and to reject or fail to reject the researcher’s hypothesis. Overall, the difference in means between the pre and post test was statistically significant butthe average number of fruits and vegetable intake decreased from the pre to post test. Based on the results of t test from the FFQ, the researcher cannot prove that providing nutrition education in a school setting will increase the fruit and vegetable intake of elementary-aged children. • Introduction: • Nationally, the childhood obesity rate tripled between 1980 and 2004 (1). • Overweight and obesity are independent risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality throughout the lifecycle (2). • The New England Journal of Medicine recently published findings from a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive & Kidney Diseases which strongly suggested that school-based health screening and nutritional education was an effective strategy for reducing the incidence of overweight and obesity in children (3). • Methods: • Subjects: 12 female 3rd grade students, ages 8-9 years. • The entire project took 4 weeks. Topics for each weekly session: • Week One- Introduction and administration of the FFQ and quiz • Week Two- What is a fruit? What is a vegetable? What is a serving size and how many do we need? • (Methods, continued): • Week Three- “Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits” (as listed on the USDA’s resource website). • Week Four- Conclusion of research project and administration of the post FFQ and quiz. Quiz Questions: • 1. Name one example of a fruit •  2. Name one example of a vegetable •  3. What is one reason why fruit and vegetables are good for you? FFQ (19 items; asked daily, weekly, or monthly f/v intake only). This FFQ was adapted from The Harvard School of Public Health’s Youth Adolescent FFQ (4). Numbers below were used to conduct the two-tailed P test: 20 (for the response “5 or more times a week”), 12 (for the response “2-4 times a week”), 4 (for the response “once a week”), 2 (for the response “1-3 times a month”), and 0 (for the response “never/less than one time a month”). • Results: • Results were significant (P= .001), however the # of f/v decreased from the pre to post tests. • Pre Vs. Post FFQ Group Data: • Discussion: • This study disagreed with similar research (3). It is unclear why the number of fruits and vegetable intakes, on average, decreased from the pre and post test. • Culturally diverse class • Not all f/v listed on FFQ