Effectiveness of school-based nutrition intervention components on fruit and vegetable intake and nutrition knowledge in children aged 4-12 years old: an umbrella review

Angeliek Verdonschot; Berit M Follong; Clare E Collins; Emely de Vet; Annemien Haveman-Nies; Tamara Bucher

doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuac057

Effectiveness of school-based nutrition intervention components on fruit and vegetable intake and nutrition knowledge in children aged 4-12 years old: an umbrella review

Nutr Rev. 2023 Feb 10;81(3):304-321. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac057.

Authors

Angeliek Verdonschot^{1

2

3}, Berit M Follong^{1

2}, Clare E Collins^{1

2}, Emely de Vet³, Annemien Haveman-Nies³, Tamara Bucher^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ are with the School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
² are with the Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition (PRCPAN), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.
³ are with the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
⁴ with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, University of Newcastle, Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia.

Abstract

Context: School-based nutrition interventions can support healthy eating in children.

Objective: To identify components of school-based nutrition interventions and synthesize the impact on consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) and nutrition knowledge (NK) in children aged 4-12 y.

Data sources: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and PICOS inclusion criteria, relevant systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses, written in English, published between 2010 and August 2020, across 6 databases were identified.

Data extraction: Two reviewers independently performed data extraction and assessed the study quality.

Data analysis: The JBI Critical Appraisal Instrument for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses was used to assess review quality, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to rate strength of evidence.

Results: From 8 included reviews, 7 intervention components were identified: FV provision, gaming/computer-delivered, curriculum, experiential learning, reward/incentives, nudging, and caregiver involvement. FV provision had the greatest effect on F intake, gaming/computer-delivered on V intake, and curriculum on NK.

Conclusion: FV provision and gaming/computer-delivered components showed, overall, some positive effect on FV intake, as did the curriculum component on NK. More evidence evaluating single-component effectiveness that considers the setting and context of nutrition interventions is required to strengthen the evidence base.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO, registration no.: CRD42020152394.

Keywords: dietary intake; healthy eating in children; intervention components; nutrition education programs; nutrition knowledge; primary schools.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Curriculum
Eating
Feeding Behavior
Fruit*
Humans
Vegetables*