Assistant Professor New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
Disclosure(s):
Shadai Martin, PhD RDN: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: To increase fruit and vegetable consumption, nutrition knowledge and gardening skills among adolescents in a Southwest state.
Methods: A six-week nutrition education, cooking and gardening class was offered to adolescents (12-17) in a Southwest state. Two-hour weekly classes included 30 minutes of gardening, 10 minutes of nutrition education, and 1 hour and 20 minutes of learning how to prepare a low-cost meal from various continents with produce grown by the program to share with their families. Participants also took home their crops started during the first week of the gardening portion of the program. All meals met the current USDA MyPlate guidelines for a well-balanced, low sodium meal. Initial and post surveys were used to assess nutrition and gardening knowledge. Three cohorts have participated in the program from August 2022-February 2023 (n=81).
Results: There was a 50% increase in participants being able to identify what counts as a serving of fruit and vegetables, and a 42% increase in participants knowing how many cups of fruits and vegetables should be consumed daily. There was a 30% increase in participants being able to explain what plants need to grow, 70% of participants felt confident being able to grow their own food, and 50% of participants had never interacted with a garden prior to this program. There was a significant association between participants growing their own fruits and vegetables and increased consumption (p < .05) and increased interaction with fruits and vegetables and increased consumption (p < .05).
Conclusions: Healthy behaviors learned during adolescence establishes the foundation to continue healthy behaviors throughout adulthood. Creating a space where adolescents can learn about nutrition and participate in economical gardening and cooking provides an opportunity to learn life skills and healthy eating habits; learning healthy eating habits during childhood and the teen years reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions later in life.
