Fruit and Vegetable Preparation Changes During and After Cost-Offset Community-Supported Agriculture Plus Nutrition Education

Abstract

Objective: Inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) can negatively impact health. Cost-offset, or subsidized, community-supported agriculture (CO-CSA) may change FV preparation behaviors among caregivers in low-income households. We assessed changes in FV preparation frequency and methods during and after participation in a CO-CSA plus tailored nutrition education intervention.

Design: Longitudinal comparison of outcomes at baseline, end of CO-CSA season, and 1 year later.

Participants: Caregivers of children aged 2-12 years from households with low income in rural areas of 4 US states (n = 148).

Intervention: Summer season, half-price CO-CSA share plus tailored nutrition education classes. Comparison to a control group not included in this analysis.

Variables measured: Monthly frequency of preparing 9 FV for children's snacks and 5 vegetables for dinner; use of healthy preparation methods for dinner.

Analysis: Repeated measures ANCOVA including state with Bonferroni correction and 95% confidence.

Results: At baseline, caregivers prepared fruit for children's snacks and vegetables for dinner almost daily and vegetables for children's snacks every other day. The frequency of total FV preparation and most vegetable varieties increased during the intervention. Increases in total vegetables for snacks, dinner, and leafy greens were maintained 1 year later (n = 107).

Conclusions and implications: Community-supported agriculture plus education is a promising approach to sustained increases in vegetable preparation for children's snacks and dinner meals.

Keywords: caregivers; feeding behavior; fruit; health education; vegetables.