Development of a School-Based Nutrition Intervention for High School Students: Gimme 5

Abstract

Purpose.: To describe a 4-year intervention targeting fruit/vegetable consumption by high school students. Design.: This is a cohort study involving six pairs of schools (n = 12) matched on gender, race, enrollment, and location with schools randomly assigned within pairs to intervention or control conditions. Setting.: Twelve Archdiocese of New Orleans high schools. Subjects.: Cohort was defined as students (n = 2339) who were ninth-graders in the 1993–94 school year who provided baseline data. Intervention.: Four components of the intervention are: (1) school-wide media-marketing campaign, (2) school-wide meal and snack modification, (3) classroom workshops and supplementary subject matter activities, and (4) parental involvement. Measures.: Focus groups were conducted for target population input and program development. Process evaluation included student feedback on media-marketing intervention materials and activities reported here. Process measures also included school meal participation, student characteristics, and verification of intervention activities. Results.: Focus groups indentified barriers to increased consumption of fruit and vegetables as lack of availability, variety, and inconsistency in taste. Student attitudes were favorable regarding a school program to improve diet and parental involvement. Low consumption of fruits/vegetables was reported. After a 2-month school-wide program introduction utilizing various media-marketing materials and activities, 93% of students were aware of the program and 96% could identify the healthy eating message. Conclusions.: Program development can be guided and enriched by student input via focus groups. Media-marketing activities effectively delivered health messages and attracted students' attention. Materials and activities used were acceptable channels for increasing awareness, positive attitudes, and knowledge about fruits/vegetables.