School gardening showed large effects on knowledge, preferences, and consumption of fruits and vegetables in primary school children¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r3 · q2 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 A two-year school-based gardening program had a large significant effect (d = 1.12) on attitudes related to healthy eating, and gardening showed large effects across knowledge, preferences, and consumption outcomes. → Varman Sumantla D. 2021

Evidence¶

Varman Sumantla D. 2021¶

Varman Sumantla D., Cliff Dylan P., Jones Rachel A., Hammersley Megan L., Zhang Zhiguang, Charlton Karen, Kelly Bridget. (2021). Experiential Learning Interventions and Healthy Eating Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010824

q2 · i3 · review · r3

Review reports a CRCT (N = 1275, Nepal) of a two-year school gardening program with hands-on cultivation of nutrient-dense vegetables; it "had a large significant effect (d = 1.12)" on healthy-eating attitudes. The discussion also reports large gardening effects across knowledge, preferences, and consumption [53,58].

"One of these studies [58], involving a two-year school-based gardening program, had a large significant effect (d = 1.12) on increasing attitudes related to healthy eating (preferences and self-efficacy for choosing fruits and vegetables)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Cooking, taste-testing, games, role-playing, and gardening had the greatest effects on nutrition outcomes in primary school children
• Successful interventions combined multiple experiential strategies, involved parents, used theory, and were shorter but more intense
• Taste-testing showed large effects on behavioral outcomes but was usually combined with other experiential strategies
• Sensory evaluation, games, storybooks, role-modelling, and creative art activities tended to have large effects on food behaviours and attitudes in preschool children
• Evidence for effective experiential learning approaches is weaker for preschool children than for primary school children
• Experiential learning activities improve children's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards healthy eating — a broader claim this one bears on
• Cross-curricular approaches are the most effective strategy for reducing sugar consumption or preference in primary school children (Md = 0.42) — related
• Enhanced curriculum approaches alone show minimal effect on reducing food consumption or energy intake (Md = 0.12) but improve nutritional knowledge (Md = 0.75) and FV consumption or preference (Md = 0.45) — related
• Experiential learning approaches (school/community gardens, cooking, food preparation) produce the largest effects on reducing food consumption and energy intake in primary school children — related
• Parental involvement approaches fall just below the Zone of Desired Effects for FV consumption or preference (Md = 0.39) and were never stand-alone — related