Evaluation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in Shawnee, Oklahoma

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a nutrition assistance program for students in low-income elementary schools because studies showed that children do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of the FFVP on fruit and vegetable selection in school age children in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The research study design was post-test only with a comparison group. Participants in the study included 183 sixth grade students in the Shawnee Public School system who attended their entire fifth grade year at one of the four Shawnee elementary schools. The intervention, the FFVP, was conducted in two schools during the students' fifth grade year, and data collection of fruit and vegetable selection occurred during the first semester of the students' sixth grade year. During the FFVP students received a fresh fruit or vegetable one to three times a week during their school day as a separate meal from the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, and any after school program. The primary outcome measures included fruit, vegetable, total fruit and vegetable, and fried vegetable selection during school lunch. Statistical analyses performed included chi-square, two-sided independent samples t tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). FFVP participants selected significantly more fruits in school lunches than nonparticipants (p = 0.008). When using ANOVA, there were significant main effects of FFVP participation (p < 0.001) and time of semester (p = 0.005) on fruit selection, but there was no significant interaction between time and FFVP participation. A non-significant trend (p = 0.054) was seen between FFVP participants and nonparticipants for total fruit and vegetable selection for the full semester. When using ANOVA, there was a significant main effect of time of semester (p = 0.003) on total fruit and vegetable selection, but there was no significant interaction between time and FFVP participation. There was a significant interaction between time and FFVP participation for fried vegetables (p = 0.024); participants decreased their intake of fried vegetables between the first two weeks and last two weeks of the semester more than nonparticipants. Females selected significantly more fruits (p = 0.007) and total fruits and vegetables (p = 0.037) than males in each group (participants, nonparticipants, all students). In conclusion, findings of this study showed that FFVP participation was associated with increased fruit selection and changed selection of fried vegetables in children the semester following participation in the FFVP. Recommendations for the FFVP are to require an equal ratio of fruits and vegetables served to children throughout the school year, stricter regulations for program implementation, and a more in-depth nutrition education component for program delivery.Department of Nutritional Science