'Food Dudes': Increasing Children's Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Abstract
The UK has one of the lowest fruit and vegetable intakes in Europe, and Britain now has one of the worst heart disease records in the world. Other diet-related health problems such as obesity are also on the increase. Children, in particular, are reluctant to eat fruit and vegetables, and it is the aim of the present Government to increase children's consumption of these foods.
The Food Dudes Program is an initiative to encourage and maintain healthy eating habits in children. It is a school-based intervention designed for use in primary schools that:
- Encourages children to eat fruit and vegetables at school and at home
- Helps children develop a liking for fruit and vegetables
- Encourages children to become proud to think of themselves as healthy eaters
- Changes the 'culture' of schools to strongly support healthy eating
The Program has two main phases:
Phase 1 (16 days): Children are read a letter and/or watch a specially designed DVD episode starring the "Food Dudes", who provide influential role-models to imitate. Children are then given a portion of fruit and vegetable and those who eat both are given a small reward (e.g. juggling balls, pedometers). This encourages repeat tasting so that children begin to like these foods.
Phase 2: Ongoing but less intensive support for eating of fruit and vegetables, using Classroom Wall Charts to record consumption levels which earn further rewards and Food Dudes certificates.
Full evaluations demonstrate large and long-lasting increases in fruit and vegetable consumption in children from 2 to 11 years of age. The greatest increases are shown by those children who were, at the start, the poorest eaters of fruit and vegetables. Increases extend across a wide range of fruit and vegetable varieties.
Based on these successes, Food Dudes is being rolled out in England, Ireland, Sicily and California.
