The Effects of a Multi-Component School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention on Children's Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Evidence suggests that multi-component school-based health-promoting interventions have great potential to improve children's fruit and vegetable intake. However, interventions that combine classroom-based curricula with experiential learning strategies (e.g., cooking) are relatively seldom described. This study investigates the short-term and longer-term effects of a multi-component school-based nutrition education intervention combining classroom-based and experiential learning strategies on children's determinants of their fruit and vegetable intake (knowledge, taste preferences, attitudes, and intention). Using a comparative quasi-experimental study design, data were collected, via child-reported questionnaires, at the baseline, directly after the intervention, and three months after the intervention from 4 control and 15 intervention classes from Dutch primary schools. A total of 192 children in grades three and four (aged 8-10 years) constituted the participants. After correction for the baseline, sex, age, and the fruit or vegetable product assessed in the questionnaire; the intervention group showed a significant increase in knowledge (p = 0.001; standardized effect size (ES = 0.60), taste preference (p = 0.002; ES = 0.52), attitude towards the assessed fruit or vegetable product (p = 0.004; ES = 0.48), and general attitude towards healthy products (p = 0.01; ES = 0.39) over the short term, when compared to the control group. The effects of the intervention did not continue to be significant over the longer term. The findings implicate short-term intervention success, although more research and intervention adaptations are recommended to increase the impact of such programs, especially over the long term.

Automated summary

Multi-component school-based nutrition education intervention combining classroom-based and experiential learning strategies has short-term effects on children's fruit and vegetable intake determinants, but the effects do not persist in the longer term. Further research and intervention adaptations are recommended to increase the impact of such programs.