OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this impact evaluation was to measure the influence of a government of Ontario, Canada health promotion initiative, the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Programme (NFVPP), on elementary school-aged children's psychosocial variables regarding fruit and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable consumption patterns. DESIGN: A cluster-randomised controlled trial design was used. The NFVPP consisted of three intervention arms: (i) Intervention I: Free Fruit and Vegetable Snack (FFVS) + Enhanced Nutrition Education; (ii) Intervention II: FFVS-alone; and (iii) Control group. Using the Pro-Children Questionnaire, the primary outcome measure was children's fruit and vegetable consumption, and the secondary outcome measures included differences in children's awareness, knowledge, self-efficacy, preference, intention and willingness to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. SETTING/ SUBJECTS: Twenty-six elementary schools in a defined area of Northern Ontario were eligible to participate in the impact evaluation. A final sample size of 1,277 students in grades five to eight was achieved. RESULTS: Intervention I students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than their Control counterparts by 0.49 serving/d (P < 0.05). Similarly, Intervention II students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than Control students by 0.42 serving/d, although this difference was not statistically significant. Among students in both intervention groups, preferences for certain fruit and vegetables shifted from 'never tried it' towards 'like it'. CONCLUSIONS: The NFVPP resulted in positive changes in elementary school-aged children's fruit and vegetable consumption at school, and favourable preference changes for certain fruit and vegetables.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this impact evaluation was to measure the influence of a government of Ontario, Canada health promotion initiative, the Northern Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Programme (NFVPP), on elementary school-aged children's psychosocial variables regarding fruit and vegetables, and fruit and vegetable consumption patterns. DESIGN: A cluster-randomised controlled trial design was used. The NFVPP consisted of three intervention arms: (i) Intervention I: Free Fruit and Vegetable Snack (FFVS) + Enhanced Nutrition Education; (ii) Intervention II: FFVS-alone; and (iii) Control group. Using the Pro-Children Questionnaire, the primary outcome measure was children's fruit and vegetable consumption, and the secondary outcome measures included differences in children's awareness, knowledge, self-efficacy, preference, intention and willingness to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. SETTING/ SUBJECTS: Twenty-six elementary schools in a defined area of Northern Ontario were eligible to participate in the impact evaluation. A final sample size of 1,277 students in grades five to eight was achieved. RESULTS: Intervention I students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than their Control counterparts by 0.49 serving/d (P < 0.05). Similarly, Intervention II students consumed more fruit and vegetables at school than Control students by 0.42 serving/d, although this difference was not statistically significant. Among students in both intervention groups, preferences for certain fruit and vegetables shifted from 'never tried it' towards 'like it'. CONCLUSIONS: The NFVPP resulted in positive changes in elementary school-aged children's fruit and vegetable consumption at school, and favourable preference changes for certain fruit and vegetables.
Authors: Rikke Krølner; Thea Suldrup Jørgensen; Anne Kristine Aarestrup; Anne Hjøllund Christiansen; Anne Maj Christensen; Pernille Due Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2012-03-14 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Ashkan Afshin; Jose Penalvo; Liana Del Gobbo; Michael Kashaf; Renata Micha; Kurtis Morrish; Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard; Colin Rehm; Siyi Shangguan; Jessica D Smith; Dariush Mozaffarian Journal: Curr Cardiol Rep Date: 2015-11 Impact factor: 2.931
Authors: Federica Sancassiani; Elisa Pintus; Arne Holte; Peter Paulus; Maria Francesca Moro; Giulia Cossu; Matthias C Angermeyer; Mauro Giovanni Carta; Jutta Lindert Journal: Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health Date: 2015-02-26