A Comparison of a Gardening and Nutrition Program with a Standard Nutrition Program in an Out-of-school Setting

Abstract

<jats:p>After-school time is currently underutilized as a potential setting to promote healthy eating in children. Two programs, a standard nutrition program titled Professor Popcorn (PP) and a gardening and nutrition program using lessons from Junior Master Gardener: Health and Nutrition from the Garden (JMG), were compared to investigate their influence on nutrition knowledge, improving fruit and vegetable preference, and improving self-efficacy in gardening and eating fruit and vegetables in an out-of-school setting. Third through fifth graders participated in an after summer-school program (n = 11 in PP; n = 7 in JMG), and fourth graders participated in JMG (n = 11) during the fall after school. Knowledge, preference, and self-efficacy measures were obtained at the beginning and end of the program. Neither program improved nutrition knowledge, nor were there any differences between the PP and JMG mean difference scores. The programs did not improve fruit and vegetable preference or fruit and vegetable consumption self-efficacy. There was, however, a change in gardening self-efficacy for the summer JMG group compared with that of the fall JMG group. Gardening self-efficacy of the summer JMG group increased (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.10), whereas that of the fall JMG group decreased (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.05). Further investigations should examine the activities of gardening occurring at different times throughout the growing season, and the role that seasons have on the outcomes due to a garden-enhanced nutrition program. In addition, researchers should examine the amount of classroom time vs. gardening time that is needed to make a garden-enhanced nutrition program more effective in an out-of-school learning setting.</jats:p>

Review and Analysis of the Benefits, Purposes, and Motivations Associated with Community Gardening in the United States

“…Youth gardening programs and projects were found to produce positive dietary, academic, and developmental results. Gardening-enhanced nutrition programs increased participants' nutrition knowledge; fruit and vegetable consumption, preference, and asking behaviors at home; physical activity; and gardening self-efficacy Poston et al, 2005;. Two studies showed no differences between students participating in a garden-enhanced nutrition program versus only the nutrition education component, except that youth in the gardenenhanced programs increased their preference for a greater number of types of vegetables .…”

“…Studies were considered a case study if they provided an in-depth analysis of a community garden as a whole or a component of a single or small number of gardens or garden networks; 40% of the articles fit this criteria Campbell & Salus, 2003;Doyle & Krasney, 2003;Glover, 2003Glover, , 2004Glover, Parry, & Shinew, 2005;Henderson & Harsfield, 2009;Hess & Winner, 2007;Kurtz, 2001;Langhout et al, 2002;Lawson, 2007;Macias, 2008;Roubanis & Landis, 2007;SaldivarTanaka & Krasny, 2004;Schmelzkopf, 2002;Smith & Kurtz, 2003;Staeheli, Mitchell, & Gibson, 2002;Teig et al, 2009;Twiss et al, 2003). Intervention studies looked at community gardens as a tool for manipulating some variable (e.g., diet, collective efficacy, access to food) within a population, and made up 45% of the studies reviewed (Alaimo, Packnett, Miles, & Kruger, 2008;Armstrong, 2000a;Austin et al, 2006;D'Abundo & Carden, 2008;Glover, Shinew, & Parry, 2005;Heim et al, 2009;Hermann et al, 2006;Hoffman, Knight, & Wallach, 2007;Klemmer et al, 2005;Koch et al, 2006;Morris et al, 2001;Ohmer, Meadowcroft, Freed, & Lewis, 2009;Parmer et al, 2009;Poston et al, 2005;Shinew, Glover, & Parry, 2004;L. L. Smith & Motsenbocker, 2005;Waliczek & Zajicek, 1999).…”

“…Over one-third of the articles focused on youth gardening activities, within a school or after-school setting (Allen, Alaimo, Elam, & Perry, 2008;Blair, 2009;Doyle & Krasney, 2003;Heim, Stang, & Ireland, 2009;Hermann, Parker, Brown, Siewe, Denney, & Walker, 2006;Klemmer, Waliczek, & Zajicek, 2005;Koch, Waliczek, & Zajicek, 2006;Langhout, Rappaport, & Simmons, 2002;Morris, Neustadter, & Zidenberg-Cherr, 2001;Ozer, 2007;Parmer, Salisburg-Glennon, Shannon, & Struempler, 2009;Poston, Shoemaker, & Dzewaltowski, 2005;L. L. Smith & Motsenbocker, 2005;Waliczek & Zajicek, 1999).…”

“…Youth gardening included garden-enhanced nutrition programs, and participatory learning opportunities. Among youth gardening studies, favorable results were reported in regards to changes in dietary habits, physical activity, and/or academic scores during and after garden participation Blair, 2009;Doyle & Krasney, 2003;Heim et al, 2009;Hermann et al, 2006;Klemmer et al, 2005;Koch et al, 2006;Parmer et al, 2009;Poston et al, 2005;L. L. Smith & Motsenbocker, 2005;Waliczek & Zajicek, 1999).…”

Beneficial but Constrained: Role of Urban Agriculture Programs in Supporting Healthy Eating Among Youth

“…Articles were searched using following keywords: urban agriculture, urban youth, fruit and vegetable consumption, food access, community gardens, food availability, food choices, food access, food behavior, healthy eating, diet, food consumption.) Some papers focus on gardening programs based in schools, 30,34,37,38 some on after-school settings, 5,10,36,37 and some on community settings. 32,33,39,40 Programs studied in these papers range from 3-day to year-long initiatives.…”