Perceived Barriers to Fruit and Vegetable Gardens in Early Years Settings in England: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey of Nurseries

Abstract

Garden-based interventions may increase child intake of fruits and vegetables and offset food costs, but few have been conducted in early care and education (ECE). This study assessed whether nurseries were interested in and perceived any barriers to growing fruits and vegetables. Surveys were mailed to a cross-sectional sample of nurseries in 2012–2013 throughout England. Nurseries were stratified based on socioeconomic status as most, middle, or least deprived areas. We fit logistic regression models to assess the odds of nurseries interested in growing fruits and vegetables and perceiving any barriers, by deprivation tertile. A total of 851 surveys were returned (54% response). Most nurseries (81%) were interested in growing fruits and vegetables. After adjustment, there was no difference in interest in the middle (OR 1.55; CI 0.84, 2.78; p = 0.16) or most (OR 1.05; CI 0.62, 1.78; p = 0.87) deprived areas, compared to the least deprived. Nurseries reported barriers to growing fruits and vegetables, including space (42%), expertise (26%), and time (16%). Those in the most deprived areas were more likely to report space as a barrier (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.12, 3.66; p = 0.02). Nurseries in the most deprived areas may need creative solutions for growing fruits and vegetables in small spaces.

Connecting Families to Food Resources amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Early Care and Education Providers in Two U.S. States

“…Third, the low overall response rate (7.8%) may limit generalizability of survey results. Prior studies similar in nature have garnered response rates around 50% [ 11 , 42 , 43 ]. The low response rate in this survey is likely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic itself.…”

Environmental sustainability and food provision in the early childhood and education setting

“…Encouragingly, around half of the services in our study used some food from their edible gardens in their menus. Edible gardens are a popular choice in childcare services, with a New Zealand study reporting that nearly all (89·5 %) of their 257 services had an edible garden onsite ( 41 ) , and a UK study indicating that most childcare services (81 %) were interested in growing their own garden; however, the UK study indicated that space, time and expertise were barriers ( 42 ) . Additionally, it may take more time to plan a menu responsive to seasonal food availability, procure sustainably and prepare more plant- and whole grain-based meals, further contributing to resourcing and cost challenges of sustainable meals ( 43 ) .…”

Environmental Influences on Dietary Intake of Children and Adolescents

“…Surprisingly, the study of Lehto et al [19] did not find any influence of center cooking facilities, resources, or staff education on children's intake, which might imply that a lack of resources and facilities does not necessarily hinder healthy dietary intake. Benjamin Neelon and colleagues [21] also examined barriers to the implementation of intervention in childcare settings, though specifically for fruit and vegetable gardens. Fruit and vegetable garden projects have been previously shown to increase children's intake of fruit and vegetables (e.g., [22], but to date few interventions in Early Care and Education settings have included gardening [23]).…”

“…Fruit and vegetable garden projects have been previously shown to increase children's intake of fruit and vegetables (e.g., [22], but to date few interventions in Early Care and Education settings have included gardening [23]). Benjamin Neelon and colleagues [21] showed that although the majority (81%) of the English childcare settings was interested in implementing gardens, various practical barriers hindered actual implementation, including lack of space, expertise and time. This is in line with the findings of Holley and colleagues [24], who identified various barriers and challenges for free food provision at holiday clubs to tackle children's hunger.…”