Study Finds Program Promoting Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Increased Children's Intake

A study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that school-based interventions can help increase children's consumption of fruits and vegetables, United Press International reports. The study is one in a series of analyses related to Project FRESH, a school-based nutrition education program conducted by the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, and aims to increase fresh produce consumption among elementary school children. For the latest study, the researchers analyzed the eating patterns of three groups of fourth-graders in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. They focused on schools where 50 percent or more of students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Prior to the educational intervention, 93 percent of students were not eating the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Seventy percent ate fewer than three servings, and, of those students, more than half ate fewer than two servings. Following the intervention, 60 percent of students increased their taste for fruits and vegetables, and 50 percent maintained a higher-than-average intake. The researchers suggest that school-based interventions that focus on increasing children's exposure to, and taste for, fruits and vegetables can increase consumption at school and home (UPI, 9/9/08; University of Maryland release, 9/8/08).