Hands-on childcare garden intervention: A randomized controlled trial to assess effects on fruit and vegetable identification, liking, and consumption among children aged 3–5  years in North Carolina

Abstract

Gardening at childcare centers may have a potent influence on young children’s learning about fruits and vegetables and their development of healthy dietary behaviors. This randomized controlled trial examined the effect of a garden intervention on fruit and vegetable (FV) identification, FV liking, and FV consumption among 3–5-year-old children enrolled in childcare centers in Wake County, North Carolina, USA. Eligible childcare centers (serving primarily low-income families) were randomly selected and then randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) intervention; (2) waitlist-control that served as a control in year 1 and received the intervention in year 2; or (3) no-intervention control. From the 15 participating childcare centers, 285 children aged 3–5 years were consented by their parents or guardians to participate. The intervention comprised six standardized, raised, mulched garden beds, planted with warm-season annual vegetables and fruits, and perennial fruits. A Gardening Activity Guide describing 12 age-appropriate, sequential gardening activities was distributed for teachers to lead hands-on gardening activities during the growing season. Data were gathered between Spring 2018 and Fall 2019. FV identification and liking were measured using an age-appropriate tablet-enabled protocol. FV consumption was measured by weighing each child’s fruit and vegetable snack tray before and after tasting sessions. Compared to children receiving no-intervention, children who received the garden intervention showed a greater increase in accurate identification of both fruits and vegetables as well as consumption of both fruit and vegetables during the tasting sessions. Consistent with prior research, the effects on fruit consumption were greater than on vegetable consumption. There was no significant effect of the garden intervention on children’s FV liking. Garden interventions implemented early in life foster learning about FV and promote healthy eating. Early exposure to gardening may yield a return on investment throughout the lifecourse, impacting healthy diet and associated health outcomes, which are particularly important within disadvantaged communities where children’s health is challenged by a host of risk factors. Clinical Trials Registration #NCT04864574 (clinicaltrials.gov).

Effects of Childcare Hands-On Gardening on Preschoolers’ (3–5 Years) Physical Activity in Semi-Arid Climate Zone

“…Analyzing data at these three levels makes this study unique compared to other relevant contemporary studies. The NC study [10] investigated similar effects only during school time (accelerometers were taken off before leaving childcare facilities), but it emphasized the need for investigating potential 'spillover effects' beyond school time at home. This study attempted to investigate this 'spillover effect' [28] by collecting PA data of children beyond school time while they were engaged in hands-on gardening at their respective childcare centers (experimental group).…”

“…Hands-on gardening, which is found to be associated with higher levels of PA for adults [6,7] and school-agers [8,9] can also be an effective intervention-based obesity prevention technique during early childhood. Two recent studies conducted in North Carolina (NC) [10,11] found positive associations between hands-on gardening and both PA and healthy eating preferences for preschoolers attending centerbased childcare. These are among the very few studies that investigated the potential role of gardening in licensed center-based childcare facilities for preventing obesity during the early years of childhood.…”

Gardening in Childcare Centers: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Effects of a Garden Intervention on Physical Activity among Children Aged 3–5 Years in North Carolina

“…This study employed a waitlist-control group, RCT, to assess the impact of the Preventing Obesity by Design (POD) Gardening intervention [46] on PA among 3-5-year-old children enrolled in 15 ECEs in Wake County, North Carolina. The larger study also examined the effects of the intervention on children's fruit and vegetable identification, liking, and consumption [28]. The protocol is detailed elsewhere [47] and described briefly here.…”

“…Fruit and vegetable (FV) gardens have the potential to affect children's health behaviors, including dietary intake [28,29] and PA [30,31], in addition to providing opportunities for pedagogical instruction in areas such as science, math, and language arts [32,33]. Gardening offers children a variety of activities involving a range of PA intensities from low (e.g., transplanting, mixing growing medium, harvesting), to moderate (e.g., weeding, mulching), to high intensity (e.g., digging, raking) [34,35].…”

Effects of Childcare Hands-On Gardening on Preschoolers’ (3-5 Years) Physical Activity in Semi-Arid Climate Zone

“…Hands-on gardening, which is found to be associated with higher levels of PA for adults [6,7] and school-agers [8,9] can also be an effective intervention-based obesity prevention technique during early childhood. Two recent studies conducted in North Carolina (NC) 2 [10,11] found positive associations between hands-on gardening and both PA and healthy eating preferences for preschoolers attending center-based childcare. These are among the very few studies that investigated the potential role of gardening in licensed center-based childcare facilities for preventing obesity during the early years of childhood.…”