Youth Gardens Increase Healthy Behaviors in Young Children

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 < .05), (2) choosing fruit instead of chips/candy (P < .01), (3) choosing vegetables instead of chips/candy (P < .01), (4) trying new vegetables that were grown in the garden (P < .001), (5) tasting new vegetables (P < .01), and, most important, (6) increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables (P < .01) Youth gardens increase access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables in young children. Because increased fruit and vegetable consumption has been shown to be an effective treatment for obesity, ongoing efforts to support youth gardens can be an important public health goal toward combating obesity.