Skip Navigation


IJE Advance Access first published online on June 29, 2007
This version published online on August 28, 2007
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dym133
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
36/5/1080    most recent
dym133v2
dym133v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fogarty, A.
Right arrow Articles by Lewis, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fogarty, A.
Right arrow Articles by Lewis, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2007; all rights reserved.

Does participation in a population-based dietary intervention scheme have a lasting impact on fruit intake in young children?

AW Fogarty1,*, M Antoniak1, AJ Venn1, L Davies2, A Goodwin2, N Salfield2, J Stocks1, J Britton1 and SA Lewis1

1Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham.
2Directorate of Health and Social Care for Midlands and East of England, UK Department of Health, East Midlands Regional Public Health Group, Government Office for the East Midlands, UK.

*Corresponding author. Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, Clinical Sciences Building, City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB. E-mail: andrew.fogarty{at}nottingham.ac.uk


  Abstract

Background The National Schools Fruit Scheme (NSFS) is intended to improve fruit intake in young children by providing free daily fruit at school.

Methods We used a parentally completed questionnaire for three consecutive years to study fruit intake in young children before, during and after participation in the NSFS compared with a control region.

Results In 2003, 2004 and 2005, a total of 224, 220 and 179 schools, respectively, were studied with responses from 5606, 5111 and 3382 children for each survey. Between 2003 and 2004, individual fruit consumption in the intervention region increased by more (from a median of 7.5 to 14.0 pieces/week) than in the control region (from a median of 9.2–11.0 pieces/week), resulting in a difference (P < 0.001) between the two regions in 2004. However, after ceasing to be eligible for the NSFS, fruit intake in children in the intervention region fell to a median of 12 pieces per week, lower than that in the control region (median value of 14 pieces per week, P = 0.02).

Conclusions School-based fruit distribution schemes providing free fruit at school appear to be an effective means of increasing dietary fruit intake in young children, including those who live in relatively socio-economically deprived areas. However, this approach does not influence fruit intake after the provision of free fruit ends, so schemes may need to be sustained to provide the maximum benefit to young children.

Keywords Fruit, nutrition, public health, children

The originally published version of this paper was incorrect. The phrase ‘from a median of 7.5-14.0 pieces/week’ should have been ‘from a median of 7.5 to 14.0 pieces/week’

Accepted 30 May 2007


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.