Sustenance and sustainability: maximizing the impact of school gardens on health outcomes

Abstract

Objective: School garden programmes have become popular action-oriented learning environments in many countries, often driven by converging priorities of environmental sustainability and healthful diets. Many of these programmes have assessed the impact on dietary intake, specifically fruit and vegetable intake, and related dietary behaviours, such as knowledge, preference, motivation, intention and self-efficacy to eat and prepare fruit and vegetables. The objective of the present study was twofold: (i) to review published garden-based programmes conducted in schools targeting dietary intake and/or determinants of dietary behaviour in children; and (ii) to identify similar strategies and components employed by these garden-based programmes. Design: The review included thirteen studies that have examined the impact of garden-based programmes conducted in school, either during school hours or in after-school settings, on dietary behaviours in children (kindergarten through 8th grade students). Results: Three of the reviewed studies did not have a comparison or control group and simply evaluated within-group changes after a garden intervention. None of the reviewed studies were randomized, but were assigned based on school's interest and timing of new school gardens being built. Out of the eleven programmes that examined dietary intake, six found that the programme resulted in increased vegetable intake, whereas four showed no effect. Seven of the eight studies that measured preference found that the programmes resulted in increased preference for vegetables. Gardening programmes also resulted in improved attitudes towards, willingness to taste, identification of and self-efficacy to prepare/cook fruit and vegetables. Similar strategies/components employed by the majority of the programmes included: 'hands on' curriculum, incorporation of a cooking component, providing the instructors, parental and stakeholder support, food provision and using the garden as the focal point for media promotion. Conclusions: Some of the garden programmes resulted in increased vegetable intake, which has positive implications for both environment sustainability and health-related outcomes. Further, the majority resulted in some improvement in behaviour determinants more generally. However, more research is warranted to understand how to achieve long-term improvements in dietary behaviours and how to sustain the garden-based programmes in schools.

Pedagogical School Gardens as a Food and Nutrition Education Strategy: Perception of Parents and Educators of Their Impact on Children´s Diets

“…In a review study, Davis et al 5 noted that all of the studies they reviewed emphasized the experience of planting, tending and harvesting, and in some cases, preparing foods, as a key explanation for the effective results in improving diets because the children were actually involved in the whole process. A study on community gardens highlighted reports of gardeners' closeness with nature by "getting one's hands dirty" and through growing food crops, tasting the foods produced, and creating emotional connections with the garden.…”

“…3,4 Involvement in school-based gardens has shown positive food-related outcomes of participating children. 5,6 The present study reports the perception of parents and educators on the children´s experience in growing foods in school gardens.…”

“…These benefits include the "learning by doing" experience, direct involvement, and the opportunity for children to learn outside the traditional classroom environment. 5 Having a garden in the school premises increases students´ contact with F&V, exposing them to new varieties of foods as they grow, prepare and consume the produce. 6 School gardens allow integration of various health-determining processes (eating habits, physical activity and social interaction) into a single activity.…”

Insights from the Think&EatGreen@School Project: How a community-based action research project contributed to healthy and sustainable school food systems in Vancouver

“…Children spend a substantial portion of time in schools and most North American youth consume one or more meals at school on weekdays (Briefel, Crepinsek, Cabili, Wilson, & Gleason, 2009;Tugault-Lafleur, Black, & Barr, 2017). The school context can influence students' understandings of and attitudes about the wider food system (Davis, Spaniol, & Somerset, 2015;Hersch, Perdue, Ambroz, & Boucher, 2014;Legault & Pelletier, 2000;Welker, Lott, & Story, 2016), including where food comes from and how food waste is managed. Schools have the potential to engage students with the entire food cycle and serve as key institutions where understandings of food, health and civic responsibility germinate (Feenstra, 2002;Rojas et al, 2011;Winson, 2010).…”

Diagnóstico de la situación alimentaria y nutricional de niños de tercero a quinto año básico de la comuna de la Reina, Santiago de Chile

“…Esto abre la posibilidad de hacer talleres prácticos de cocina en las escuelas, lo que coincide con experiencias internacionales de otros países, donde para enseñar hábitos saludables se han realizado intervenciones para enseñar a cocinar a los niños, como el "Cooking with kids program" 17,18 y otras experiencias en América Latina 19 . Estos programas reafirman una vez más que para poder cambiar hábitos desde la niñez, incorporando a las familias, es necesario realizar actividades prácticas de "aprender haciendo", que en el campo de la alimentación saludable se expresan en talleres de cocina y utilización de huertos escolares 20 . Existen interesantes experiencias internacionales que apoyan los talleres prácticos de cocina en escuelas que deberían ser replicados en nuestro país, como la del chef Jamie Oliver, quien ha desarrollado programas en el Reino Unido y otros países como Australia, cuya efectividad está siendo evaluada actualmente 21 .…”