2009–10 USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) in Indiana Improved Several Factors that Lead to Improved Health

US children consume inadequate amounts of fruit (F) and vegetables (V). In 2008, FFVP became a permanent national intervention program to combat this problem. Data from Indiana students at 3 intervention and 3 control schools during the 2009–10 program year were analyzed by logistic regression to determine probability of improvements in children's knowledge about daily F and V needs and their intention to eat, preference for, and daily variety (n=1486). Differences in daily intake were determined with analysis of covariance, with small differences in rate of free and reduced lunch treated as a covariate. No changes were found for control students. The probability that intervention students knew daily F and V were needed for health increased (+7% for fruit, p=0.04; +11% for vegetables, p=0.002) as did probability of eating more than one kind of F (+12%, p=0.001) or V (+9%, p=0.004) daily. There were no improvements in intention to eat F daily (p=0.203), though those with the intention were high at the onset of the program (74%). The frequency of students that intended to eat daily V began lower (40%) and the probability of eating daily V increased (9%, p=0.05) over time. Students’ preferences for F and V did not change (p=0.83, 0.932). Daily F intake in school increased about 0.5 times per day (p<0.001) with no change for V (p=0.247). These data show FFVP may improve children's health. Grant Funding Source : Indiana University