Nutrition education intervention improves vegetable-related attitude, self-efficacy, preference, and knowledge of fourth-grade students.

Impact of a classroom-based, standardized intervention to address limited vegetable consumption of fourth graders was assessed. A 4-lesson, vegetable-focused intervention, revised from extant materials was repurposed for Pennsylvania fourth graders with lessons aligned with state academic standards. A reliability-tested survey was modified, then examined for face and content validity and test-retest reliability. Lessons and evaluation materials were modified through an iterative testing process with educator feedback. A nonequivalent control group design was stratified by local Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) partnering organizations with random assignment of participating elementary schools as control (N = 68) or intervention (N = 72) treatments. Independent t-tests compared control and intervention group changes. A mixed effects model was created to account for classroom effects from the nested sampling method of selecting classrooms within SNAP-Ed partnering organizations. General linear model univariate analyses of variance were conducted to assess intervention effects considering gender, and food preparation/cooking experience. During a 3- to 5-week time frame, 57 intervention classrooms (N = 1047 students) and 51 control classrooms (N = 890) completed pre- and post-testing. Intervention students improved in vegetable-related attitude, self-efficacy, preference, and knowledge scores (p < .001). For example, intervention vegetable preference increased 1.56 ± 5.80 points; control group mean increase was only 0.08 ± 4.82 points. Group differences in score changes were not affected by gender or interactions between gender and food preparation/cooking experience with family. A defined intervention delivered in a SNAP-Ed setting can positively impact mediators associated with vegetable intake for fourth-grade students.

Wall DE ，Least C ，Gromis J ，Lohse B ... -  《-》

A garden pilot project enhances fruit and vegetable consumption among children.

Heim S ，Stang J ，Ireland M 《-》

Validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge survey for assessment in elementary school children.

Limited surveys are available to assess the nutrition knowledge of children. The goals of this study were to test the validity and reliability of a computer nutrition knowledge survey for elementary school students and to evaluate the impact of the "Fit Kids 'r' Healthy Kids" nutrition intervention via the knowledge survey. During survey development, a sample (n=12) of health educators, elementary school teachers, and registered dietitians assessed the survey. The target population consisted of first- through fourth-grade students from Salt Lake City, UT, metropolitan area schools. Participants were divided into reliability (n=68), intervention (n=74), and control groups (n=59). The reliability group took the survey twice (2 weeks apart); the intervention and control groups also took the survey twice, but at pre- and post-intervention (4 weeks later). Only students from the intervention group participated in four weekly nutrition classes. Reliability was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficients for knowledge scores. Results demonstrated appropriate content validity, as indicated by expert peer ratings. Test-retest reliability correlations were found to be significant for the overall survey (r=0.54; P<0.001) and for all subscales: food groups, healthful foods, and food functions (r=0.51, 0.65, and 0.49, respectively; P<0.001). Nutrition knowledge was assessed upon program completion with paired samples t tests. Students from the intervention group demonstrated improvement in nutrition knowledge (12.2+/-1.9 to 13.5+/-1.6; P<0.001), while scores for the control group remained unchanged. The difference in total scores from pre- to post-intervention between the two groups was significant (P<0.001). These results suggest that the computerized nutrition survey demonstrated content validity and test-retest reliability for first- through fourth-grade elementary school children. Also, the study results imply that the Fit Kids 'r' Healthy Kids intervention promoted gains in nutrition knowledge. Overall, the computer survey shows promise as an appealing medium for assessing nutrition knowledge in children.

Gower JR ，Moyer-Mileur LJ ，Wilkinson RD ，Slater H ，Jordan KC ... -  《-》

It's all about kids: preventing overweight in elementary school children in Tulsa, OK.

DeVault N ，Kennedy T ，Hermann J ，Mwavita M ，Rask P ，Jaworsky A ... -  《-》

School gardens: an experiential learning approach for a nutrition education program to increase fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption among second-grade students.

Parmer SM ，Salisbury-Glennon J ，Shannon D ，Struempler B ... -  《-》