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Updated: May 16, 2025

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Impacts of farm to school on children's perception of food
Lesley Leake1, Maria McClam1, Amanda Howell2
1Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 220 Stoneridge Dr. Suite 103, Columbia, SC 29210 USA.
Objective:
To evaluate the impact of a farm to school program on urban, elementary-aged children.
Methods:
A classroom of students receiving a farm to school intervention was compared to a control classroom at the same school. Pre-and post-surveys measured knowledge, attitudes, and consumption of fruits and vegetables in both groups. Dietary recalls measured consumption of fruits and vegetables post-intervention. Rich pictures captured children's mental model of food post intervention.
Results:
The rich pictures of farm to school students were more likely to include fruits and vegetables (OR = 7.2; 95% CI = 1.66,31.26) and imagery of the natural environment (insignificant) compared to the control group. Their overall mental models of food were significantly healthier (p < .01). No students in either group (n = 41) ate the USDA recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.
Conclusions And Implications:
Farm to school programs influence children's mental model of food and may give students a more robust understanding of where food comes from.
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