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Nutritional intervention improved fruit, vegetable consumption
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Rural, low-income children enrolled in a nutritional study consumed significantly more fruits and vegetables, according to recent study findings published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“The objective of our analysis was to examine changes in fruit, vegetables, legume, whole-grain and low-fat dairy consumption compared with students in control schools,” Juliana F. W. Cohen, ScM, ScD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a press release.
The Creating Healthy, Active and Nurturing Growing-Up Environments (CHANGE) study included 432 first- to sixth-graders in eight rural communities. At baseline, researchers reported that all of the students (intervention and control groups) consumed similar amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, potatoes/potato products, saturated fats and sugars.
Researchers found that children in the intervention group consumed 0.08 cups of vegetables more per day, 0.22 cups combined fruits and vegetables more per day, and had a lower glycemic index compared with the control group.
“The outcomes of the CHANGE study provide evidence that a multi-component intervention targeting low-income children living in rural communities in America can improve their diet quality,” Cohen said. “Overall, students consumed significantly more vegetables and combined fruits and vegetables after exposure to the CHANGE study intervention compared with students in control schools and communities.”
Disclosure: See study for a full list of disclosures.
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