Growing healthy habits : an exploration of the impact of enrollment in a botany class that includes working in a hydroponic greenhouse on high school students' attitudes and food consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Consuming fruits and vegetables is important for proper growth and overall health. NHANES and YRBSS data indicate children and youth do not consume the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetable. Studies also suggest that diet quality declines as children reach adolescents and spend more time away from home. Farm to School, nutrition education, school gardens/greenhouses and many other types of intervention studies have attempted to improve the fruit and vegetable intake of young children. However, research about the fruit and vegetable intake and nutrition interventions for high school-aged is limited. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of enrollment in a botany class and working in a hydroponic greenhouse on the attitudes and consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables of students in one rural high school in East-Central Indiana. The mean age of participants in this study was 15.9 ± 1.2 years. Of the 71 respondents, 33 were male, 37 female, and 1 no response. Results indicated no significant difference in attitude toward fruits and vegetables or in consumption of fruits and vegetables between the botany/greenhouse group and the non-botany control group. However, 35.5% of students in the botany/greenhouse group reported that working in the greenhouse had increased their vegetable consumption. Additional research is needed to determine viable ways to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among youth.