School-based gardening, cooking and nutrition intervention increased vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI: Texas sprouts - a cluster randomized controlled trial

Study answer

What this study found

Vegetable intake rose in the intervention relative to control by about 0.33 to 0.48 servings per day (p-values ~0.002–0.02, depending on analysis). No significant differences for fruit intake, sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity measures (BMI, BMI z-score, BMI percentile, waist circumference, body fat) or blood pressure. Conclusion: The program increased vegetable intake but did not reduce obesity markers or blood pressure within one school year; longer or more intensive, sustained approaches may be needed to influence obesity-related outcomes. Demonstrates feasibility and potential to…

Study & population

16 elementary schools in Texas randomized to Texas Sprouts (n=8) or control (n=8).

Intervention

Texas Sprouts program delivered during the school year (9 months) with a 0.25-acre outdoor garden, Garden Leadership Committees, 18 student gardening, nutrition, and cooking lessons (60 minutes each), and nine monthly parent lessons, taught by trained educators.

Key limitation

Limitations include limited generalizability (predominantly low-income, Hispanic sample); very low parental engagement (about 7% attended at least one parent lesson; only 88.9% of parent sessions were delivered); weather disruptions led to indoor sessions for ~34% of child lessons; duration was one school year with…

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Original abstract