School Garden and Nutrition Education Associated with Increased Consumption of School Meals in Pilot Study

To pilot test whether a multicomponent school garden and nutrition education intervention was associated with increased school lunch consumption.

Students in grades 1-5 from matched pairs of public schools (1 high- and 1 low-poverty intervention school, each paired with a comparison school) were observed using the System of Observational Cafeteria Assessment of Foods Eaten. Consumption was defined as the percentage of each entrée and side salad eaten. Mixed-effects models analyzed data collected through direct observation over 13 days across 28 lunch periods.

Students in intervention schools consumed 47.5% of the entrée and 44.1% of the entrée plus side salad, compared with 34.5% and 31.2% in comparison schools. Adjusted analyses showed students consumed 0.13 (P = 0.006) and 0.11 (P = 0.01) more portion units, with no significant treatment-by-pair interactions.

The intervention was associated with greater meal consumption, supporting the need for a cluster-randomized trial.