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Association between food for life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables: A Cross-Sectional study in England

Jones, Mat; Pitt, Hannah; Oxford, Liz; Bray, Issy; Kimberlee, Richard; Orme, Judy

Association between food for life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables: A Cross-Sectional study in England Thumbnail


Authors

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Mathew Jones Matthew.Jones@uwe.ac.uk
Professor of Public Health

Hannah Pitt

Liz Oxford

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Issy Bray Issy.Bray@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Public Health (Epidemiology)

Judy Orme Judy.Orme@uwe.ac.uk
Professor/Ins Director ISHE



Abstract

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The promotion of dietary health is a public health priority in England and in other countries. Research shows that the majority of children do not consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables (F&V). There has been relatively little research on the impact of programmes, such as Food for Life, that (a) integrate action on nutrition and food sustainability issues, and (b) are delivered as commissions in a local authority area. The study sought to assess pupil F&V in schools engaged with the Food for Life (FFL) programme. The design was a cross-sectional study comparing pupils in FFL engaged (n = 24) and non-engaged (n = 23) schools. A total of 2411 pupils aged 8-10 completed a validated self-report questionnaire. After adjusting for confounders, pupils in schools engaged with FFL consumed significantly more servings of F&V compared to pupils in comparison schools (M = 2.03/1.54, p < 0.001). Pupils in FFL schools were twice as likely to eat five or more portions of F&V per day (Odds Ratio = 2.07, p < 0.001, Confidence Interval = 1.54, 2.77). Total F&V consumption was significantly higher (p < 0.05) amongst pupils in schools with a higher level FFL award. Whilst limitations include possible residual confounding, the study suggests primary school engagement with the FFL programme may be an effective way of improving children’s dietary health.

Citation

Jones, M., Pitt, H., Oxford, L., Bray, I., Kimberlee, R., & Orme, J. (2017). Association between food for life, a whole setting healthy and sustainable food programme, and primary school children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables: A Cross-Sectional study in England. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(6), 639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14060639

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 12, 2017
Publication Date Jun 14, 2017
Deposit Date Jun 15, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Print ISSN 1661-7827
Electronic ISSN 1660-4601
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 6
Pages 639
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14060639
Keywords fruit and vegetables; diet; primary school children; sustainable food
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/886062
Publisher URL http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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