Can a Community-based Intervention Improve the Home Food Environment? Parental Perspectives of the Influence of the Delicious and Nutritious Garden

Abstract Objective To examine changes in parental report of the home food environment during the course of a garden-based fruit and vegetable (FV) intervention for grade school children. Methods Self-administered pre-post surveys were completed by parents/caregivers (n = 83). Main outcome measures included: child asking behavior, FV availability/accessibility, parental encouragement, and value of FV consumption. Results Process evaluation results indicate children shared their garden experiences at home, and as a result, the children's home food environment became increasingly supportive of FV consumption. Parents reported an increase ( P < .01) in the frequency that their child asked for FVs. Parental value for FV consumption also improved ( P < .01), as did home availability of fruit ( P < .05), vegetables ( P < .001), and parental encouragement of FVs ( P = .06). Conclusions and Implications Community-based interventions that provide activities to engage parents may provide added benefit by improving the home food environment.