The Effects of Nutrition Education on Third and Fifth Grade Students’ Fruit and Vegetable Knowledge, Preference, and Consumption

Regular consumption of fruit and vegetables (F/V) may reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases, yet most American school children fail to meet recommended intakes. One proposed method for reducing childhood obesity is implementing school-based nutrition education programs aimed at increasing F/V intake. This repeated measures study examined the effectiveness of an eight-week F/V-targeted nutrition education intervention on elementary-school students’ nutrition knowledge, F/V preference, and salad bar consumption. A convenience sample of third- and fifth-grade students (n = 149) participated in the study. Surveys were administered pre- and post-intervention to assess F/V knowledge and preference. Pre- and post-plate waste analyses determined F/V consumption as well as total plate consumption. Results showed very few significant differences in pre- and post-nutrition knowledge and F/V preference. There were slight differences in overall nutrition knowledge and F/V preference between grades, with fifth-graders generally possessing a better understanding around the benefits of consuming F/V and a greater preference for F/V. There was no significant difference in F/V consumption; however, both grades consumed significantly more of their total plate after the intervention. The data suggests that a more multicomponent approach with a longer duration is needed to effectively increase elementary-aged students F/V consumption.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nutrition

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Epstein-Solfield, Alexandra

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nicole Stendell-Hollis
• Clay Arango
• Dana Ogan

• elementary schools
• nutrition education
• plate waste
• fruit and vegetables
• childhood obesity
• Educational Methods
• Elementary Education
• Health and Physical Education

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/731

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-1748