Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and Offerings to Somali Children

Objective : To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a parent-centered intervention to increase fruit and vegetable servings and consumption among Somali children living in the United States. Design : Pilot intervention that included Somali community health workers who organized gr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mary O. Hearst (Author), Rebecca Kehm (Author), Shelley Sherman (Author), Kate E. Lechner (Author)
Format: Book
Published: SAGE Publishing, 2014-04-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Objective : To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a parent-centered intervention to increase fruit and vegetable servings and consumption among Somali children living in the United States. Design : Pilot intervention that included Somali community health workers who organized groups of 3 or 4 women to participate in 2 initial educational sessions, including topics of health and nutrition, serving size, and label reading. A third session taught interactive cooking to increase skills in preparing fruits and vegetables and increasing the numbers of vegetables included in traditional Somali dishes. The final session was a trip to the grocery store to identify fruits and vegetables, determine ripeness, and explore frozen and canned fruits and vegetables for halal, low-sodium, and low-sugar products. Surveys were completed pre- and post-intervention. Setting : Study participants were recruited from a large housing complex in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a high population of Somali immigrants. Participants : Somali women (N = 25) with children aged 3 to 10 years. Results : The intervention was feasible and well accepted. In comparing pre- and post-intervention surveys, mothers reported providing their children significantly more frequent servings of fruits and vegetables at dinner, lunch, snack, and breakfast (vegetable only). There was a statistically significant increase in parent-reported intake of fruits and vegetables for themselves and their children. Conclusion : The FAV-S study was feasible and acceptable, and it demonstrated potential for increasing fruit and vegetable servings and consumption among Somali children. A larger-scale randomized trial is needed to assess the impact of this intervention.
Item Description:2150-1319
2150-1327
10.1177/2150131913513269