Effect of an After School Education and Gardening Program on Nutrition and Physical Activity Behaviors in School Age Youth, Grades 3-8

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an after school education and gardening program on nutrition and physical activity behaviors among youth in 3rd through 8th grade who were participating in the Delaware County Oklahoma New Communities Project. Participants completed the pre questionnaire in the fall at the beginning of the school year and post questionnaire in the spring near the end of the school year. The pre/post questionnaire consisted of 12 questions using a three category response scale format; "yes," "sometimes," and "no." The McNemar non-parametric test was used to analyze the data and significance was set at p < 0.05. Thirty-nine children completed the pre and post evaluation questions, forty-seven percent were male and fifty-three percent were female. There was a significant increase in the proportion of children reporting "I drink milk or eat dairy foods every day," "I eat vegetables every day," and "I am physically active every day" (Table 2). There was a significant decrease in the proportion of children reporting "I drink pop every day" and "I eat candy desserts or chips everyday" The results of this study suggest that incorporating an after school garden along with nutrition education and food preparation can significantly improve youths reported vegetable intake and physical activity behaviors.