Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Laura McCann

Publication Date

7-11-2013

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate change in elementary students willingness to try fruits and vegetables after participating in the Santa Fe Farmers' Market Children's Nutrition Program (intervention) on a class field trip. The WillTry survey was administered to 139 kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students five days before and two days after they participated in the intervention. Data were also collected in Student Notebooks that participants completed during the intervention. The change in their willingness to try eight fruits and vegetables (fresh apple, dried apple, cantaloupe, canary melon, sunflower sprouts and radish sprouts) between the WillTry pre- and post-test was evaluated using the Wilcoxan Sign Rank test. Responses regarding willingness to try these eight foods were also compared between the Student Notebook and the WillTry post-test to evaluate any change between responses recorded immediately upon tasting each food and those recorded two days later. In assessing changes between the WillTry pre-and post-test, we observed an overall decrease in willingness to try the eight foods offered. There was a small but statistically insignificant increase in WTT fruits (with the exception of dried apple, which increased significantly), and a significant decrease in WTT vegetables. In comparing the post-test and notebook data we found that in the two days between the intervention and post-test, many students changed their responses. This indicates flexibility in WTT over time, an encouraging finding that offers promise if a child is unwilling to try a food initially. Findings from this study would benefit by further research investigating the effects of a greater number of exposures to each food and varying presentation of the foods in such an intervention.

Keywords

Nutrition, farmers market, willingness to try, fruits, vegetables

Sponsors

Graduate and Professional Student Association

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Nutrition

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Individual, Family, and Community Education

First Committee Member (Chair)

Yakes, Elizabeth

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