Effects of 1 y of free school fruit on intake of fruits, vegetables, and unhealthy snacks: 14 y later

Abstract

Background: There are not many studies evaluating the long-term effects of fruit and vegetable interventions. Objective: We examined the effects of 1 y of free fruit in elementary school on long-term consumption of fruit, vegetables, and unhealthy snacks, according to sex and educational attainment, 14 y after the intervention period. Design: In 2001, the baseline survey of the longitudinal cohort, Fruits and Vegetables Make the Marks (FVMM), included 1950 children (mean age: 11.8 y) attending 38 randomly drawn elementary schools from 2 counties in Norway. In the following 10 mo, 9 schools served as intervention schools by participating in the Norwegian School Fruit Program for free, whereas 29 schools served as control schools. A follow-up survey conducted in 2016 included 982 participants (50%) from the original study sample (mean age: 26.5 y). The consumption of fruit and vegetables was measured by a 24-h recall (portions per day), and the consumption of unhealthy snacks was measured by food-frequency questions (portions per week). Linear mixed models were performed to test possible intervention effects on the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and unhealthy snacks 14 y after the intervention period. Results: No overall intervention effects after 14 y due to the free-fruit scheme on the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and unhealthy snacks were observed, but significant interactions showed a sustained higher frequency of fruit consumption among females in the intervention group compared with the control group [mean difference (MD): 0.38 portions/d; P = 0.023] and that this effect was only significant among less-educated females (MD: 0.73 portions/d; P = 0.043). No significant long-term intervention effects were observed in the consumption of fruit among highly educated females and males nor in the consumption of vegetables or unhealthy snacks. Conclusion: Results from the present study indicate that receiving free fruit at school for 1 y may have positive long-term effects for females without higher education.