Results of the Tooty Fruity Vegie in Primary Schools Evaluation

Tooty Fruity Vegie Program forPrimary SchoolsJillian AdamsAvigdor ZaskJanet PettitJane DixonDenise HughesUta DietrichHealth Promotion North Coast Area Health Service

The problem• Childhood obesity levels rising dramatically• F & V intakes decreasing & consumption declinesthroughout childhood.• Related to major chronic diseases.• Need a positive, low cost & sustainable program basedon best evidence

Project OverviewTwo year, multi-strategic healthpromotion programAimed to increase fruit and vegetableconsumption by primary schoolchildren2000-2003:2003:• 24 intervention schools• 6 control schools

Whole-ofof-school,Multi-strategic ApproachCanteen-orientedStrategiesClassroom-basedStrategieschildreneating morefruit andvegSchool Environment-oriented StrategiesFamily-orientedStrategies

Project Management Team:• Students• Parents & volunteers• Teaching staff• Health staff

Evaluation - ImpactThe program increased children’s: knowledge, attitudesand preparation skillsaccess interest, requestsvegetable consumption

Evaluation - outcome• Pre and post interventiondata collection• Parents filled in 24 hoursfood diaries of children’sfood intake• Diaries content codedand converted to serves

Analysis - subjects• Enrolled for full intervention period- 2 years• Excluded - not enrolled in eitherpre or post

Mean Daily daily fruit & and veg serves veg serves - fullyRelative exposed improvement3.5Mean Daily fruit and veg servesMean Daily fruit and veg servesRelative improvement = 18.2% or 0.51 servesRelative 18.2% improvement (0.51 18.2% serves)(0.51 serves)3.33.12.92.72.5PreContIntPost

Mean daily vegetable serves21.81.61.41.21PreContIntPost

Fruit intake21.510.50PreContIntPost

Fruit intake100%80%60%40%no fruit, some fruit(*=significant improvement)* * * 1 serves 1.5 serves 2 serves79.1 80.4 75.6 77.3 45.3 36.8 45 53.6 30.3 19.4 30.2 41.3 10.8 3 10.2 15.89789.2 89.884.280.654.763.25546.469.769.858.720%20.9 19.6 24.4 22.70%Cont @ preCont @ postInt @ preInt @ post

What does it all mean?The intervention significantly increasedfruit and veg consumptionamongst the school children

Recommendations•Parent volunteers make great implementers•Research in schools demands a big lead in time•Don’t t use 24 hour food records•Most sustainable strategies are the “hands on” ones

Thank you!Jillian AdamsNorth Coast Area Health ServiceLismore NSW 2480Phone: 0266 207215Email: jillian.adams@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.auDownload everything at our websitewww.ncahs.nsw.gov.au/tooty-fruity/