RESEARCH
Impact of School-Based Vegetable Garden and Physical Activity Coordinated Health Interventions on Weight Status and Weight-Related Behaviors of Ethnically Diverse, Low-Income Students: Study Design and Baseline Data of the Texas, Grow! Eat! Go! (TGEG) Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
This large five-year study explored how school gardening, nutrition lessons, and physical activity programs could help improve the health of low-income elementary school students in Texas. Researchers worked with 28 schools and divided them into four groups: one group did only a standard health program, while the others added gardening, physical activity, or both. The study involved over 1,300 students and 1,200 parents and measured things like vegetable intake, sugary drink consumption, physical activity, and students’ weight. Parents were also surveyed about their home environment and support for healthy behaviors.
Before any programs began, the study found that many students were already overweight or obese, ate few vegetables, drank sugary drinks often, and spent several hours a day being inactive. Parents reported moderate support for healthy behaviors at home but still had sugary drinks available regularly. The baseline results showed that students and families were at high risk of health problems, making them a priority group for targeted health programs. The study set the stage for evaluating how combining gardening and physical activity in schools could make a real difference in students’ health.
