Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Conditions
Keywords
food security, community gardens, fruit/vegetable consumption
Brief summary
The goals of this community-based clinical trial are to examine the association between community garden participation and 1) fruit and vegetable intake (primary outcome) and 2) access to healthy food (secondary outcome) among adults aged 18-95 living in low resource communities. Gardens will be randomized to the intervention (n=4 gardens) or control group (delayed intervention, n=3 gardens). Participants will be assigned to one of seven community gardens to receive an 8-week intervention. During the intervention, participants will be asked to volunteer in the garden, participate in garden social activities, participate in healthy cooking demonstrations and educational sessions. Participants will receive educational materials as well. To assess the effects of the intervention, participants will receive a baseline, 8-week, and 6-month survey. Outcome measures will be compared between the intervention and control groups.
Detailed description
Food insecurity is a major cause of chronic diseases and is highest in the nation in Arkansas. Evidence shows that community gardens and healthy cooking demonstration can reduce food insecurity by 1) increasing access to healthy foods and 2) promoting healthy food consumption. Community garden participation is one factor that can influence healthy food consumption such as fruit and vegetable intake. The goals of this community-based clinical trial are to examine the association between community garden participation and 1) fruit and vegetable intake (primary outcome) and 2) access to healthy food (secondary outcome) among adults aged 18-95 living in low resource communities. Participants will be assigned to one of seven community gardens to receive an 8-week intervention. During the intervention participants will be asked to volunteer in the garden, participate in garden social activities, participate in healthy cooking demonstrations and educational sessions. Participants will receive educational materials as well. Four of the gardens will be randomized to the intervention group and three to the delayed intervention group. To assess the effects of the intervention, participants will receive a baseline, 8-week, and 6-month survey. Other measures that we will examine include food security; sociodemographics; physical activity; life satisfaction; perceived stress; neighborhood collective efficacy; self-efficacy; individual level social determinants of health; community engagement; and knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction related to gardening and cooking.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCommunity garden activities
The gardens in the intervention group will receive an 8-week intervention that includes 1) educational materials, 2) healthy cooking demonstrations, food and transportation support and 3) garden social activities. The control group will be asked to abstain from intervention activities. The control group will receive the delayed 8-week intervention one month after the intervention group.
Sponsors
University of Arkansas
University of Hawaii Cancer Research Center
Coalition for a Tobacco Free Arkansas
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Randomization will occur at the garden level. Four gardens will be randomized to the intervention and three gardens to the control group. The participants assigned to the four gardens in the intervention group will receive an 8-week intervention that includes 1) educational materials, 2) healthy cooking demonstrations, 3) food and transportation support and 4) garden social activities. The control garden group will not receive an intervention during this time period which allows us to evaluate differences in the primary and secondary outcomes in the intervention and control groups at 8 weeks and 6 months. The control group will receive the delayed 8-week intervention one month after the intervention group.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 95 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Arkansas resident aged 18-95; 2. live in community within 1 mile radius of a participating garden; 3. speak English; 4. willingness to participate in the garden as a volunteer during the study intervention period; 5. not previously participated in the garden as a volunteer in past 6 months; 6. scores as food insecure on 1 of any of the food security measures (i.e. food did not last, could not eat balanced meal, cut the size or skip meals and frequency at which this happens, eat less than you think you should, were hungry but did not eat); 7. written informed consent; 8. working phone, home address, and email; 10\) willingness to complete all survey assessments.
Exclusion criteria
* Does not live within 1 mile radius of a participating garden.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and vegetable intake | From baseline to 8 weeks (end of intervention) and 6-months post intervention | We will use the five factor screener that is used to approximate intake of fruit juices, fruit, green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, tomato-based sauces, potatoes, and beans |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Access to healthy foods | From baseline to 8 weeks (end of intervention) and 6-months post intervention | We will use the the Perceived Availability of the Healthy Food Scale. Participants will be asked to think of the neighborhood area (1 mile radius) and the extent to which they feel that the foods are of high quality, available, and are low fat. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTPebbles Fagan, PhD, MPH
CONTACTElizabeth Taylor, BA
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORPebbles Fagan, PhD, MPH
UAMS
Outcome results
None listed