Impact assessment of an intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables by students and teachers

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an intervention that promoted the consumption of fruits and vegetables on the intake of these products by students and teachers in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. METHODS: This is a one-group pretest-posttest study of students and teachers from elementary public schools in Rio de Janeiro. The intervention included a training course for promoting healthy eating; distribution of educational materials; and holding of a one-day health fair. We assessed the activities that had been carried out, teachers' habitual fruits and vegetables intake, students' fruits and vegetables intake at school, and intervention-related issues. RESULTS: Before the intervention, 65.1% of the students consumed the school lunch and most (>79.4%) accepted and consumed the fruits and vegetables served. Most teachers (>75.0%) consumed fruits and other vegetables regularly, but only 36.4% consumed leaf vegetables regularly. The intervention was implemented only moderately (52.7%) but was well accepted by the teachers. The students of schools that implemented the intervention more extensively showed better acceptance of vegetables (p=0.009). Teachers' fruits and vegetables intake did not change. CONCLUSION: Students' fruits and vegetables intake changed modestly. This study contributes to the design of intervention studies for Brazilian schools because it coordinated the National School Food Program with educational activities.

Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables by Low-Income Brazilian Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Several studies undertaken in different countries [ 5 , 8 , 13 , 14 , 23 , 24 ] showed a low prevalence of regular consumption of FV by undergraduates. A recent study carried out at the University of Acre in the northern region of Brazil with 863 students showed a prevalence of regular consumption of FV in just 14% of the sample [ 24 ].…”

“…Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is associated with several health advantages, such as lowered chronic diseases because of their low energy density, high fiber, bioactive compounds, vitamins, and minerals profile [ 1 ]. Studies [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ] have shown that the population’s consumption of FV does not meet the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) (400 g per day) [ 6 ]. In some countries, socioeconomic disparities of diet quality are well established.…”

Successful promotion of physical activity among students of medicine through motivational interview and Web-based intervention

“…In contrast, for the same group, daily fruit consumption was found in less than 50%, which is still much higher compared to our study ( El Ansari, Stock & Mikolajczyk, 2012 ). Numerous studies have shown a low prevalence of fruit and vegetable intake by undergraduates ( Cooke & Papadaki, 2014 ; Farias et al, 2014 ).…”

Aquisição domiciliar de refrigerantes e de biscoitos reduz o efeito de uma intervenção de promoção de frutas e hortaliças

“…A intervenção, descrita em maiores detalhes em outra publicação 33 , foi composta pelas seguintes vertentes de ação desenvolvidas nas comunidades estudadas: formação básica de agentes comunitários de saúde (ACS) das equipes de saúde da família e de coordenadores pedagógicos, diretores e professores das escolas públicas municipais existentes em cada comunidade; estímulo e apoio a ações educativas dirigidas às famílias e outros públicos (por exemplo, produção de materiais educativos, apoio ao cultivo de hortas); e apoio técnico aos gerentes de pontos de venda na disposição das frutas e hortaliças e desenvolvimento de outras estratégias para aumentar a atratividade e compra destes produtos.…”