Date of Award

2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Science

Department

Nutrition and Food Sciences

First Advisor

Geoffrey Greene

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of a nutrition education mini lesson series on children’s knowledge and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Design: Quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design with two study conditions (experimental and control).

Setting: Four (4) Boys & Girls Clubs in Providence, Rhode Island.

Participants: Eighty-four (84) children ages 5-11 years.

Intervention: Participants in the experimental group received one, 10-minute fruit and vegetable nutrition education mini lesson each week for 4 weeks. Participants in the control condition received 2 lessons unrelated to fruits and vegetables. The experimental and control groups completed pre- and post-surveys one week before and after the intervention.

Main Outcome Measures: Knowledge of recommended fruit and vegetable intakes and fruit and vegetable consumption.

Results:The experimental group was more likely to answer knowledge items correctly at post-test than the control group (p

Conclusion and Implications: This intervention effectively increased fruit and vegetable knowledge of 5-11 year old participants in an afterschool care setting. Future research is needed to determine if adopting additional or alternate intervention techniques can increase fruit and vegetable intakes of children in this setting.

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