Overcoming Barriers to Vegetable Consumption by Preschool Children: A Child Care Center Buying Club

Barriers to healthy eating in low-income families include the perceived and actual cost of fruits and vegetables, availability of and access to healthy foods, and parental time constraints. This pilot study represents a unique food-based obesity prevention program that targeted parents of preschool children. This program attempted to address 2 barriers to vegetable consumption, time constraints and cost, by offering local produce in a child care center and providing coupon incentives. Over half of the 29 participants were low-income, and 33% of parent-participants reported that the intervention increased vegetable consumption in their children.