Healthy Whole Grain Choices for Children and Parents: A School-based Pilot Intervention

Healthy Whole Grain Choices for Children and Parents: A School-based Pilot Intervention
By:
Published on 2006 by ProQuest

Increased intake of whole grain foods by children represents a positive dietary change. The purpose of this study was to pilot test a school-based intervention designed to increase whole grain consumption by 4th and 5th grade children. The 6-week multicomponent intervention involved 67 students in one school while 83 students in another school served as the control group. Whole or partial whole grain products replaced refined grain counterparts on a daily basis in the intervention school cafeteria. Focus group data from children, parents and teachers informed the development of a five-lesson classroom curriculum based on Social Cognitive Theory which was delivered to children in the intervention group. The family component included weekly parent newsletters, bakery and grocery tours and a milling museum event. According to meal observation data, refined grain consumption decreased by approximately 1 serving per day and whole grain consumption increased by 1 serving per day for children in the intervention school compared to the control school post-intervention. Whole grain foods were more available for children in the intervention school compared to the control school post intervention. Plate waste data for selected grain products showed that some whole grain products were as well accepted as their refined-grain counterparts. Children and parents in both the intervention and control groups completed questionnaires before and after the intervention to assess changes in knowledge, availability, self-efficacy, and role modeling. These questionnaires were tested for reliability with another group of children and parents prior to use. Whole grain knowledge by children in both schools increased with a trend toward a greater increase in the intervention group (p = 0.06). Three parenting scales were developed as a result of a factor analysis of 17 items from the parent survey instrument: role modeling, enabling behaviors, and whole grain health benefits. Pre/post changes in role modeling and enabling behaviors scores were significantly greater for the intervention compared to the control school (p

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Thank You for Read :receiving most/all of the \u003cb\u003enewsletters\u003c/b\u003e and greater than half (69%) read most/all of \u003cbr\u003e\nthem. Less than half (40%) completed most/all of the \u003cb\u003eparent\u003c/b\u003e/child activities; \u003cbr\u003e\nhowever, only three-percent of children returned all five completed \u003cb\u003eparent\u003c/b\u003e/child \u003cbr\u003e\nactivity ... from our blog