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. 2020 Nov 18:20:101247.
doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101247. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Long-term impact of a school-based nutrition intervention on home nutrition environment and family fruit and vegetable intake: A two-year follow-up study

Allison N Marshall  1 , Christine Markham  2 , Nalini Ranjit  1 , Gregory Bounds  3 , Joanne Chow  3 , Shreela V Sharma  3
Affiliations

Long-term impact of a school-based nutrition intervention on home nutrition environment and family fruit and vegetable intake: A two-year follow-up study

Allison N Marshall et al. Prev Med Rep. .

Abstract

Long-term data on maintenance of intervention effects of health promotion programs targeting fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake in children is lacking. We conducted a two-year follow-up of Brighter Bites, a school-based nutrition education and food co-op intervention found to be effective in increasing child intake of F&V. A one-group, pre-post evaluation design was used to assess the two-year post intervention impact of the program on child and parent dietary intake and home nutrition environment. In 2016-2017 school year, we conducted a follow up of 262 parent-child dyads who had previously participated in Brighter Bites in a 2013-2015 evaluation study in six low-income Texas elementary schools. Child dietary intake was measured using a parent-reported food frequency questionnaire, and surveys measured parent F&V intake, and home nutrition environment. Results of a multi-level regression analysis showed that, two years post-intervention, as compared to baseline, there was a significant increase in child intake of fruit, vegetable, and fiber, and significant decreases in total fat intake and percent daily calories from sugary beverages (p < 0.05). Parent dietary data showed significant increases in fruit intake, and intake of F&V combined (p < 0.05). Changes in home nutrition environment included: increased frequency of cooking behaviors, increased usage of nutrition facts labels in making grocery purchasing decisions, and increased food availability of F&V (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates potential long-term sustained impact of a comprehensive school-based intervention among low-income children and their families.

Keywords: Dietary behavior; Fruit and vegetable intake; Low-income populations; School-based intervention; Sustained impact.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Sharma is on the Board of Directors of Brighter Bites nonprofit organization, the goal of which is to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education among underserved communities. This is an unpaid, advisory board position. The other authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study Flow of a Two-Year Longitudinal Follow-up Evaluation of Brighter Bites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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