Using the Veggie Meter in Elementary Schools to Objectively Measure Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Pilot Study

Martinelli, Sarah; Acciai, Francesco; Tasevska, Natasha; Ohri‐Vachaspati, Punam

doi:10.3390/mps4020033

Cited by 17 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…While dietary intake was only assessed by proxy using the Veggie Meter ® , this was by design, as the Veggie Meter ® has been previously validated against several different criteria [43], and it was critical to determine if it can be successfully implemented in lowincome schools despite the logistical challenges that accompany working in this setting. Overall, this study supports the growing body of literature that suggests that the Veggie Meter ® is an appropriate tool for measuring change in fruit and vegetable consumption by proxy in the school setting, especially in a low-income school setting [24][25][26].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…With these considerations in mind, reflection spectroscopy has emerged as a relatively low-cost, non-invasive, and most-importantly, objective method of detecting changes in dietary behavior, specifically consumption of carotenoid-containing fruits and vegetables [24][25][26][27]. When consumed, carotenoids are deposited in the skin; greater consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with higher amounts of detectable skin carotenoids [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Skin Carotenoids Using Reflection Spectroscopy in a Low-Income School Setting

et al. 2021

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Dietary behavior change is difficult to accurately measure in a low-income youth population. Objective tools to measure fruit and vegetable consumption without relying on self-report present the opportunity to do this with less respondent burden and bias. A promising tool for quantifying fruit and vegetable consumption via proxy is skin carotenoids as measured by reflection spectroscopy through a device called the Veggie Meter®. To assess whether the Veggie Meter® is able to detect changes in skin carotenoids as a proxy for fruit and vegetable consumption in a low-income school setting, skin carotenoid measurements were collected at three time points, along with student level demographics, anthropometric measurements, and nutrition knowledge. A secondary goal of this study was to refine the protocol to be used based on researcher observations. Repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons indicate that there was a significant difference in VM scores over the course of the study (F(2, 68) = 6.63, p = 0.002), with an increase in skin carotenoids from Fall 2018 to Spring 2019 (p = 0.005). This increase was sustained over the summer months when measured in Fall 2019. Changes to the protocol included the addition of a hand cleaning step and using the non-dominant ring finger for data collection. With these refinements, the results demonstrate that the Veggie Meter® is usable as a non-invasive tool for measuring fruit and vegetable consumption in a population that is traditionally difficult to assess.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Skin Carotenoids Using Reflection Spectroscopy in a Low-Income School Setting

et al. 2021

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“…The investigation into the correlation between V/F intake and VM scores in children has not fully been proven. Martinelli et al [ 32 ] showed a significant positive relationship between vegetable intake and VM scores, but not between green vegetable and fruit intake and VM scores. May et al [ 33 ] showed no correlation between vegetable intake and VM scores.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The measurements are displayed as a Veggie Meter (VM) score (arbitrary unit). It has been confirmed that the VM can be used in public health studies as well as studies with preschool and school children [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ], where the validity was ensured through the associations between RS measures and dietary carotenoids, V/F intake as calculated from a validated food frequency questionnaire, and plasma carotenoids [ 35 , 36 ]. Thus, quantifying V/F intake using a VM can raise dietary awareness and may promote the efficiency of dietary education even in children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Skin Carotenoid Levels in Young Students through Brief Dietary Education Using the Veggie Meter

et al. 2022

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The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of carotenoid have been determined to aid in the prevention of a wide range of oxidative disorders, arteriosclerosis, obesity, and various types of cancers. In order to keep high carotenoid levels in the body, much of the vegetable and fruit (V/F) intake is mandatory. However, the actual intake of V/F is not enough in many countries. The aim of this study was to assess whether brief dietary education using the Veggie Meter (VM) that could measure skin carotenoid (SC) levels could induce the increase in carotenoid levels via V/F intake. Two hundred and sixty-one elementary and junior high school students (ages 7–14 years old) received brief educational session and SC evaluation by VM, and the changes in SC levels were examined after 6 months. The baseline VM scores ranged from 131 to 825, and the average significantly increased from 400.0 ± 124.7 (standard deviation) to 447.4 ± 140.4 at Month 6 (p < 0.0001). The percentage of increase at month 6 was negatively correlated with the baseline values (r = −0.36, p < 0.0001). This finding implies that subjects who became aware of their inferiority tended to make a significant effort to change their behavior. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that subjects taking much of green and yellow vegetables, drinking vegetable/tomato juice, and eating any fruit had higher VM scores than the average value. In conclusion, the educational approach using VM was supposed to be an effective method of raising awareness of the V/F shortage and increasing V/F intake that could indue the increase in SC levels.

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“…Skin carotenoids measured by RRS were strongly correlated (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) with both serum and plasma carotenoids. While Martinelli et al [29] applied Veggie Meter (VM), a widely used RS device, to assess skin carotenoids, they only found weak correlations (r = 0.174, p = 0.042) between total vegetable consumption and VM scores. For the fruit group, no significant correlations were observed.…”

Section: Skin Biomarkersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Fruit and Vegetables Intake with Biomarkers in Children and Adolescents and Their Level of Validation: A Systematic Review

Muli

Huybrechts

et al. 2022

Metabolites

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Fruit and vegetables (FV) are part of a healthy diet and should be frequently consumed already at a young age. However, intake of FV is difficult to assess in children and adolescents due to various misreporting aspects. Thus, measurement of dietary biomarkers may be a promising alternative to assess FV intake more objectively at young age. To date, dietary biomarkers have been primarily studied in adults, and research focused on their usefulness in children is scarce. However, clinical studies have revealed important differences between children and adults, most importantly in their gut microbiome composition, resulting in differences in postprandial metabolism, as well as in food choices and meal compositions that may influence individual biomarker levels. Therefore, the present review aimed to identify biomarkers of FV intake (BFVI) currently available in children and adolescents and to explore whether there are any differences in the BFVI profile above between children and adolescents and adults. In addition, the current level of validation of BFVI in children and adolescents was examined. In total, 28 studies were eligible for this review, and 18 compounds were identified as potential biomarkers for FV intake in children and adolescents. Carotenoid concentration in skin was a valuable biomarker for total FV intake for both children and adult populations. Common BFVI in blood in adults (e.g., carotenoids and vitamin C) showed inconsistent results in children and adolescents. Biomarkers particularly useful in children included urinary hippuric acid as a biomarker of polyphenolic compound intake originating from FV and the combination of N-methylnicotinic acid and acetylornithine as a biomarker of bean intake. Further studies are needed to assess their kinetics, dose–response, and other validation aspects. There is limited evidence so far regarding valid BFVI in children and adolescents. Thus, to put BFVI into practice in children and adolescents, further studies, particularly based on metabolomics, are needed to identify and validate BFVI that can be used in future epidemiological studies.

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Using the Veggie Meter in Elementary Schools to Objectively Measure Fruit and Vegetable Intake: A Pilot Study

Cited by 17 publications

References 40 publications

Measuring Skin Carotenoids Using Reflection Spectroscopy in a Low-Income School Setting

Measuring Skin Carotenoids Using Reflection Spectroscopy in a Low-Income School Setting

Improving Skin Carotenoid Levels in Young Students through Brief Dietary Education Using the Veggie Meter

Assessment of Fruit and Vegetables Intake with Biomarkers in Children and Adolescents and Their Level of Validation: A Systematic Review

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