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

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.