A theory-based randomized controlled trial in promoting fruit and vegetable intake among schoolchildren: PROFRUVE...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood nutrition is a critical public health concern.
• Dietary habits established in childhood often persist into adulthood.
• Interventions targeting fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption are essential for promoting healthy eating patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)-based intervention program.
• To increase fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption in schoolchildren aged 7-10.
• To assess the long-term impact of the intervention on FV intake.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial with 8 classrooms (185 children).
• Intervention group received 14 TPB-based sessions over an academic year.
• FV consumption assessed via 7-day food records pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1 year later.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in FV intake in the intervention group (+0.45 servings/day) post-intervention (p=0.001).
• Sustained increase observed 1 year after intervention ( +0.52 servings/day from baseline; p=0.003).
• Intervention and baseline FV intake were significant predictors of FV intake change.

Conclusions:

• The TPB-based intervention demonstrated moderate effectiveness in increasing FV consumption.
• The intervention successfully maintained the achieved increase in FV intake long-term.
• Baseline FV intake level influenced the intervention's effect size.