Impact of a multicomponent, school-based nutrition intervention on students’ lunchtime fruit and vegetable availability and intake: A pilot study evaluating the Shaping Healthy Choices Program
Abstract
This pilot study evaluated the impact of a school-based intervention integrating garden-enhanced nutrition education, family and community partnerships, and improvements to school fruit and vegetable availability. Two elementary schools in Northern California were randomly assigned to control and intervention. Changes in lunchtime fruit and vegetable intake as well as changes in fruit and vegetable availability were compared between schools, with dietary outcomes assessed among fourth-grade students having complete fruit (n = 111) and vegetable (n = 112) intake data. There were greater increases in vegetable consumption, produce expenditures, and vegetable variety at the intervention than control school (p < 0.01) but no differences for fruit outcomes. The complementary nature of program components illustrates how the promotion of vegetables available at school meals can be connected to garden-enhanced nutrition education.
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Taylor et al. found a significant increase in vegetable consumption from 0.09 cups pre-intervention to 0.15 cups post-intervention with salad bars and nutrition education, while control schools declined from 0.05 to 0.04 cups (p = 0.03).
“Taylor and colleagues found a significant increase in vegetable consumption measured using digital imagery: intake went from 0.09 cups pre-intervention to 0.15 cups post-intervention while consumption declined slightly in the control schools from 0.05 to 0.04 cups (p = 0.03) [52].”
From Strategies to Improve School Meal Consumption: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as [52]
In addition to the 22 studies included in the original review, eight further studies were identified as eligible.
“In addition to the 22 studies included in the original review, eight further studies were identified as eligible.”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
Seven studies were assessed as low risk of detection bias.
“Seventeen of the included studies were assessed as high risk [26, 28, 37, 41, 43, 44, 46–49, 52, 54–56, 58, 66, 67] and seven studies were assessed as low risk of detection bias [27, 42, 51, 53, 60, 62, 63].”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
The risk of attrition was assessed as unclear in six studies, as insufficient information regarding the loss of schools and treatment of missing data were provided.
“The risk of attrition was assessed as unclear in six studies, as insufficient information regarding the loss of schools and treatment of missing data were provided [26, 37, 41, 42, 54, 57].”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
Three studies were high risk of bias due to incorrect analysis.
“Three studies were high risk of bias due to incorrect analysis [42, 46, 58], while eight studies were assessed as low risk [27, 37, 38, 41, 54, 56, 64, 67] and the remaining studies (n = 4) at unclear risk [26, 47, 55, 60].”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
Seven studies were assessed as unclear for potential risk of recruitment to cluster.
“Seven studies were assessed as unclear [26, 37, 38, 41, 42, 46, 67], whilst the remaining study [27] was assessed as high risk of bias due to randomization occurring prior to recruitment and a lack of blinding of recruiters.”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
Three studies were assessed as high risk for baseline imbalance.
“Three studies were assessed as high risk [26, 27, 42], while the remaining study [54] was at unclear risk of bias due to baseline imbalance.”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
Across the three studies assessing the availability of fruit and vegetables within schools, the median effect size was 1.15 and ranged from 0.64 to 1.23.
“For example, across the three studies assessing the availability of fruit and vegetables within schools, the median effect size was 1.15 and ranged from 0.64 to 1.23 [42, 55, 58].”
From Improving implementation of school-based healthy eating and physical activity policies, practices, and programs: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [42]
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- Authors
- Taylor, J. C., Zidenberg-Cherr, S., Linnell, J. D., Feenstra, G., & Scherr, R. E.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Oregon State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Scherr, Rachel E.
- Venue
- Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2017-10-27
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 415-428
- ISSN
- 1932-0248 (ISSN-L)
- 1932-0256
- OpenAlex
- W2765958568
- Cited by
- 24
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California (11-1018)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (2011-38420-20082, 221082)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Speech and Hearing › School Health and Nursing Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- school-based nutrition intervention, fruit and vegetable intake, school meals, school gardens, family and community partnerships, vegetable consumption, vegetable varieties, elementary school students
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