Youth Gardens Increase Healthy Behaviors in Young Children

Abstract

Research supports the role of increased fruit and vegetable consumption to prevent obesity. A major challenge is how to develop and implement interventions to promote children's fruit and vegetable consumption. The school environment has been identified as a key setting; however, there is limited research linking youth gardens to fruit and vegetable consumption.Through a partnership led by the University of Wisconsin Extension, along with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, a statewide school gardening initiative was developed. The initiative, Got Dirt?, was evaluated at 28 sites across the state to determine the effects of gardens on student health behaviors using pre- and posttest surveys on the predictors of and consumption of fruits and vegetables.Classrooms at each of the sites were randomly assigned to an intervention (garden) or control (no garden). A total of 1796 completed student (N = 801) and parent (N = 995) surveys demonstrated statistically significant changes in (1) trying new fruit (P