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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02166034

Effects of School Gardens on Children's Diet, Nutritional Knowledge, Etc.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether school gardens influence children's dietary intake, nutritional knowledge, and other outcomes.

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Key information

Conditions

Dietary Habits Behavior Behavior, Animal Feeding Behavior

Age range

6 year–14 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Schools in Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

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About this study

Schools in New York, Washington State, Iowa, and Arkansas were randomly assigned to receive school gardens and associated curriculum or to serve on the wait list control group that received gardens and curriculum at the end of the 2-year study. Baseline data were collected in Fall 2011. Garden interventions began in Spring 2012. Follow-up data were collected at 6, 12, 18 months following baseline data collection.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Schools had at least 50% of enrolled children qualifying for free + reduced price meals (FRPM)
  • Schools did not already have a school garden.

Exclusion criteria

none.

Treatment and study plan

garden intervention

Behavioral

The intervention includes raised bed garden kits for participating classes as well as access to garden-based curriculum.

Primary outcomes

  1. change in fruit + vegetable intake at school

    Time frame: change from baseline to follow-up at 6, 12, 18 months

    Children's lunch trays are photographed before and after lunch for 3 days at each wave of data collection. Digital Food Image Analysis software computes grams of fruit and grams of vegetables consumed for each pair of lunch tray photos.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Garden Intervention Fidelity

    Time frame: At 3 garden intervention time points -- 6, 12, 18 months after baseline

    fruit + vegetables planted, harvested; methods of fruit and vegetable distribution; and garden-based lessons delivered to the class are measures at each wave of data collection from Fall 2011 to Spring 2013.

  2. change fruit & vegetable consumption at home

    Time frame: change from baseline (Fall 2011) to follow-up at 6 months, 12 months, 18 months.

  3. change in Nutritional Knowledge

    Time frame: change from baseline to follow-up at 6, 12, 18 months

    In the classroom, children complete a 7-item multiple choice questionnaire developed by the Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth curriculum development team. The questionnaire includes items about plant science (e.g., Which part of the plant uses the sun's energy to make food? root, stem, leaf, flower) and nutrition (e.g., Which nutrient supplies our bodies with energy? fiber, carbohydrates, water, vitamins). Data represent the number of correct answers.

  4. change in Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) self efficacy

    Time frame: change from baseline (Fall 2011) to follow-up at 6, 12, 18 months.

    In the classroom, children complete a 15-item questionnaire, derived from the Science Process Skills Inventory (SPSI) (Arnold & Bourdeau, 2009) and the Iowa 4-H Science Youth Self-Assessment (Staker, 2011). Items include, for example: "I can do an experiment to answer a question" and "I can develop a plan for a good garden I want to plant" with response options "Disagree." "Not Sure." or "Agree" denoted 1, 2, or 3 respectively. The STEM self-efficacy score range is thus 15-45, with higher scores indicating that participant has stronger positive beliefs in their abilities to use STEM to solve problems.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cornell University

Other

Collaborators

  • Iowa State University
  • University of Arkansas
  • Washington State University

Registry information

Official study title

Healthy Gardens, Healthy Youth (HGHY): A People's Garden School Pilot Program

Acronym: HGHY

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
Jun 18, 2014
Registry last updated
Jun 18, 2014

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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