Cancer Council Western Australia, 420 Bagot Road, Subiaco WA 6180, Australia; School of Psychology, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth WA 6845, Australia.
Cancer Council Western Australia, 420 Bagot Road, Subiaco WA 6180, Australia.
Appetite. 2018 Jun 1;125:182-189. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.01.023. Epub 2018 Feb 7.
Nutrition interventions that target both fruits and vegetables are effective in increasing fruit consumption, but have been limited in their ability to improve vegetable intake. To address the low proportion of children meeting vegetable intake guidelines, approaches specifically targeting vegetables are needed. This paper reports on a mixed-method analysis of a 10-week vegetable promotion pilot project that aimed to increase vegetable intake as part of the existing Crunch&Sip in-class fruit and vegetable break program.
The intervention was designed to promote vegetable consumption through the implementation of vegetable-focused resources, including curriculum resources and parent education materials. Teachers completed pre- and end-of-intervention surveys. Process measures related to the use of resources and teachers' perceptions of barriers to implementation. The outcome evaluation included measures of children's vegetable consumption during Crunch&Sip breaks and teachers' attitudes and confidence relating to educating students about the benefits of consuming vegetables.
Twenty-one Western Australian primary schools already participating in the Crunch&Sip program participated in the pilot intervention and evaluation. Coverage included 35 primary school teachers representing 818 students aged 4-11 years.
The proportion of children bringing vegetables for Crunch&Sip more than doubled over the 10-week intervention (21% vs 46%; p < 0.001). Improvements were observed in teachers' perceived knowledge about the nutritional benefits of vegetables (p = 0.001) and confidence to educate students about the benefits of vegetable consumption (p = 0.028).
Preferentially promoting vegetable consumption as part of an existing school-based nutrition program may be an effective strategy to increase children's vegetable intake.
针对水果和蔬菜的营养干预措施可有效增加水果摄入量，但在提高蔬菜摄入量方面效果有限。为了解决儿童蔬菜摄入量低的问题，需要采取专门针对蔬菜的方法。本文报告了一项为期 10 周的蔬菜推广试点项目的混合方法分析，该项目旨在增加蔬菜摄入量，作为现有的课堂水果和蔬菜课间休息计划“嘎吱嘎吱&吮吸”的一部分。
该干预措施旨在通过实施以蔬菜为重点的资源来促进蔬菜消费，包括课程资源和家长教育材料。教师在干预前后完成了调查。过程措施涉及资源的使用以及教师对实施障碍的看法。结果评估包括在“嘎吱嘎吱&吮吸”课间休息期间测量儿童的蔬菜摄入量，以及教师对教育学生食用蔬菜益处的态度和信心。
21 所已参与“嘎吱嘎吱&吮吸”计划的西澳大利亚州小学参与了试点干预和评估。涵盖了 35 名代表 818 名 4-11 岁学生的小学教师。
在 10 周的干预期间，带蔬菜参加“嘎吱嘎吱&吮吸”的儿童比例增加了一倍以上（21%对 46%；p<0.001）。教师对蔬菜营养价值的认知（p=0.001）和教育学生食用蔬菜益处的信心（p=0.028）均有所提高。
作为现有基于学校的营养计划的一部分，优先推广蔬菜消费可能是增加儿童蔬菜摄入量的有效策略。
