The 5 A day Virtual Classroom: an on-line strategy to promote healthful eating

Communications technology can help stimulate youth to become involved in health promotion. This article reports on an innovative, Internet-based nutrition program that encouraged children to be advocates for policies that promote eating more fruits and vegetables, the 5 A Day Virtual Classroom. Through this program, students from across the United States discussed the recommendation of 5 A Day at the same time in a classroom without walls. In September 1997 children were asked, "If you were President Clinton, how would you get kids across the country to eat 5 A Day?" Based on content analysis of responses, this article suggests strategies that policymakers could use to encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables. Approximately 2,600 students participated; 635 entries and 910 suggestions were received. The suggestion categories cited most often were mass media (19.8%), economic issues (15.4%), and social influence (13.8%). The most frequently mentioned specific ideas were to reward children for eating fruits and vegetables and to use presidential authority. Some regional, age, and gender patterns were found. Findings support the potential impact on health education of the 5 A Day Virtual Classroom and of interventions based on communications technology.