Boy Scout 5-a-Day Badge: outcome results of a troop and Internet intervention

Abstract

Objectives: The effects of a Boy Scout Five-A-Day Badge program on fruit juice (FJ) and low-fat vegetable (LV) consumption were evaluated using a two-condition (treatment, active-attention-placebo-control) group randomized trial, with three data collection periods (baseline, immediate post, 6-month post).

Methods: Forty-two Boy Scout troops (n=473, 10- to 14-year-old Scouts) in Houston, TX, were randomly assigned to condition. The 9-week program included approximately 30 min of weekly troop time, plus approximately 25 min of weekly Internet programming. The intervention was delivered in two waves (Spring and Fall). Data were collected in 2003-2004, and analyses were completed in 2008. Main outcomes were FJ and LV consumption (validated food frequency questionnaire). FV self-efficacy, preferences, and home availability were also measured.

Results: Significant increases in FJ consumption (p=.003), FJ home availability (p=.009), and LV self-efficacy (p=.004) were observed among the intervention group immediately following the intervention but were not maintained 6 months later.

Conclusion: A Boy Scout troop-plus-Internet intervention promoting FJ and LV consumption resulted in short-term changes in FJ consumption among U.S. Boy Scouts. Future research should investigate ways to extend these results to LV and maintain the increases over time.