UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Pharis, Meagan
Dept./Program:
Community Development and Applied Economics
Year:
2013
Degree:
MS
Abstract:
Rising rates of childhood overweight and obesity have caused concern over the nutrition of today's youth. Despite the known health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, children do not meet current recommendations for these foods. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) can be used to develop and evaluate programs aimed at improving the eating habits of school-aged children. According to SCT a successful health program for children will be informational, develop skills, provide a sense of self-efficacy, and develop social supports.
In this study, indices were developed to measure components of SCT relevant to nutrition interventions for school-aged children. Self-efficacy measures one's belief in one's ability to perform specific, health-related tasks. Preferences measure a student's preference for and willingness to taste fruits and vegetables. Students' perception of peer and adult attitudes towards fruit and vegetables was measured with a Social Norms index, and engagement with the food system was assessed with an index of Food Systems Learning. Gardening Skills measure student's gardening experience, which includes some identification of vegetables.
Participants in phase one of the study were 637 fourth to fifth grade elementary school students from schoolsacross the U.S. The indices, based on SCT, were used to predict students' knowledge of and intentions to eat fruit and vegetables. Results from a multinomial logistic regression indicated, students with high Preferences and Selfefficacy were significantly more likely to be knowledgeable with intent to eat fruit and vegetables. The same was true for students with high Gardening Skills, though to a lesser extent. Phase two of the study involved 94 students (with 100 students for control) who participated in the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program. These students learned the value of fruits and vegetables while planting, maintaining, and harvesting a school-garden. School gardens have become popular as a means to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among youth, but evaluation studies report inconsistent results. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance(MANCQVA) was used to evaluate program impact. Results indicate that one year of Teaching Gardens familiarized students with gardening activities but was not enough to impact the other measures of SCT related to health behavior.
In this study, indices were developed to measure components of SCT relevant to nutrition interventions for school-aged children. Self-efficacy measures one's belief in one's ability to perform specific, health-related tasks. Preferences measure a student's preference for and willingness to taste fruits and vegetables. Students' perception of peer and adult attitudes towards fruit and vegetables was measured with a Social Norms index, and engagement with the food system was assessed with an index of Food Systems Learning. Gardening Skills measure student's gardening experience, which includes some identification of vegetables.
Participants in phase one of the study were 637 fourth to fifth grade elementary school students from schoolsacross the U.S. The indices, based on SCT, were used to predict students' knowledge of and intentions to eat fruit and vegetables. Results from a multinomial logistic regression indicated, students with high Preferences and Selfefficacy were significantly more likely to be knowledgeable with intent to eat fruit and vegetables. The same was true for students with high Gardening Skills, though to a lesser extent. Phase two of the study involved 94 students (with 100 students for control) who participated in the American Heart Association Teaching Gardens program. These students learned the value of fruits and vegetables while planting, maintaining, and harvesting a school-garden. School gardens have become popular as a means to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among youth, but evaluation studies report inconsistent results. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of covariance(MANCQVA) was used to evaluate program impact. Results indicate that one year of Teaching Gardens familiarized students with gardening activities but was not enough to impact the other measures of SCT related to health behavior.