Retracted: LA sprouts randomized controlled nutrition and gardening program reduces obesity and metabolic risk in latino youth

Abstract

Objective To assess the effects of a 12-week gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention (“LA Sprouts”) on dietary intake, obesity parameters and metabolic disease risk among low-income, primarily Hispanic/Latino youth in Los Angeles. Methods Randomized control trial involving four elementary schools [2 schools randomized to intervention (172, 3rd–5th grade students); 2 schools randomized to control (147, 3rd–5th grade students)]. Classes were taught in 90-minute sessions once a week to each grade level for 12 weeks. Data collected at pre- and post-intervention included dietary intake via food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), anthropometric measures [BMI, waist circumference (WC)], body fat, and fasting blood samples. Results LA Sprouts participants had significantly greater reductions in BMI z-scores (0.1 versus 0.04 point decrease, respectively; p=0.01) and WC (−1.2 cm vs. no change; p<0.001). Fewer LA Sprouts participants had the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) after the intervention than before, while the number of controls with MetSyn increased. LA Sprouts participants had improvements in dietary fiber intake (+3.5% vs. −15.5%; p=0.04) and less decreases in vegetable intake (−3.6% vs. −26.4%; p=0.04). Change in fruit intake before and after the intervention did not significantly differ between LAS and control subjects. Conclusions LA Sprouts was effective in reducing obesity and metabolic risk.

LA Sprouts : A 12-Week Gardening, Nutrition, and Cooking Randomized Control Trial Improves Determinants of Dietary Behaviors

“…34 The current analyses highlight the intervention effects on determinants of dietary behaviors and did not examine the effects of these determinants on dietary intake and health outcomes. These findings show that a garden-based intervention can improve a number of determinants linked to dietary intake, with many of them encompassing gardening behaviors.…”

“…34, 35 The conceptual framework is a combination of the SCT and SDT (Figure 1; the solid arrow denotes the relationship examined herein). The main outcomes findings were that LA Sprouts participants compared to wait-listed controls had reductions in BMI, BMI z-scores, waist circumference and increased in intake of dietary fiber and vegetable intake.…”

“…The main outcomes findings were that LA Sprouts participants compared to wait-listed controls had reductions in BMI, BMI z-scores, waist circumference and increased in intake of dietary fiber and vegetable intake. 34 The goal of this analysis was to evaluate the effect of LA Sprouts program compared to wait-listed controls on changes in determinants of dietary behavior in predominately Hispanic/Latino 3 rd –5 th grade students. The hypothesis is that LA Sprouts participants compared to wait-listed controls would have improvements in preference for FV, willingness to try FV, identification of FV, self-efficacy to garden, eat and cook FV, motivation to garden, eat, and cook FV, attitudes towards FV, nutrition and gardening knowledge; and gardening at home habits.…”

Growing Our Own: Characterizing Food Production Strategies with Five U.S. Community-based Food Justice Organizations

“…Enabling people to grow some of their own food in home and community gardens has become a fixture of that work, and of some obesity prevention initiatives (Gatto, Martinez, Spruijt-Metz, & Davis, 2017;Lawson, 2005;Zanko, Hill, Estabrooks, Niewolny, & Zoellner, 2014). Supporting food gardening and other forms of community food production may take society a step closer toward food justice and food security, including because that enables consumers to also become producers (Allen, 1999).…”

How can ecological urbanism promote human health?

“…In LA and the Caribbean, low intake of whole grains and other nutrition-related risks are also among the top ten major risk factors for disease. Better nutrition benefits cardiovascular health (Hu et al, 2001) and helps to combat other non-communicable diseases, such as obesity (Gatto et al, 2015) and diabetes (Tohill et al, 2004). UPA also creates opportunities for physical activity, reinforcing the described health gains (Rydin et al, 2012).…”