Effect of a Horticultural Program with Nutrition Emphasis on Preschool Children to Promote Healthy Eating Habits

A horticultural program with a hands-on gardening and nutrition emphasis was taught to determine the effect it had on promoting healthy eating habits of preschool children. Sixty preschool children aging 5 to 7 participated in this study. Children in the experimental group participated in a one-hour horticultural program that occurred twice a week for 4 months. Activity room and outside garden in the preschool were used for the horticultural program. The Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), the Dietary Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), the Horticultural Program Evaluation (HPE), and demographic measures were obtained before and after the program. Children in the horticultural program had significantly more positive outcomes than those in the control group. Measurement of the FPQ was significantly different between two groups (P