Improving Availability of Mechanisms for Purchasing Foods from Farms A Community Grant Proposal

By: Evan Fritz, Jamie Keil and Anna Bohanon

12/6/2014

Overview and Summary

Overview of the Problem:

A critical problem in today's society is unhealthy eating habits, which lead to chronic diseases such as obesity and heart

disease. More specifically, young children developing these unhealthy habits at such an early age have a higher risk of health

complications when they become adolescents and young adults. Additionally, childhood obesity is becoming more common in our

modern society due to social influences. Our topic, “Mechanisms for Purchasing Food from Farms,” is not a topic that our society

currently focuses on. School-aged children may not even have knowledge of where fresh fruits and vegetables come from. They also

might not know that they are an essential part of their diet. By making farm fresh fruits and vegetables available to local schools,

research has shown that consumption of processed foods will be decreased and consumption of fruits and vegetables in schools will

increase (Bontrager and Yoder, 2014). Developing unhealthy eating habits at an early age is a major issue because of the chronic

diseases that can come from them, as well the threat of them becoming lifelong habits (See Appendix A).

The concept we are addressing in our grant is childhood obesity. In current research one out of three children is considered

obese, and is to be on the rise within our nation. Our society focuses heavily upon fast foods or foods we can make easily without

much time.

We believe that with the grant we are trying to implement, it could help to decrease the prevalence of this current disease by

allowing children to have high access to fruits and vegetables. We are seeking funding to put into action a community garden that will

feed local schools. It would contain various fresh fruits and vegetables that are locally grown without the preservatives that keep it

fresh longer. Positioning fresh fruits and vegetables into the local schools allows for children to choose healthier foods at a young age

rather than choosing junk foods has been a proven technique to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Children spend a majority of

their day within school and are heavily influenced there. We conclude that by allowing children to have access to pleasant foods, it

will increase their chances of choosing healthier foods at an older age.

Statement of Need:

One of the problems in today’s society includes the lack of nutritious resources for our youth. Several studies have been done

to test the success of implementing fruit and vegetable programs into school meals. One such study by Bontrager Yoder et. al (2014)

showed “small increases in knowledge about, attitudes towards, and access and exposure to fruits and vegetables” (p. 343). Such

differences may be seen in the following visual (Figure 1, Appendix A). This bar graph shows the changes between very low, low, and

adequate fruit and vegetable intake. Drastic changes were seen across the board, but specifically with adequate fruit intake. This

program also suggested that the Farm to School program stay in the school for at least another five years to see if the knowledge,

attitudes, and access to fruits and vegetables increased. This study was done in Wisconsin, and will be used to show the effects of the

Farm to School Program throughout different states.

Another state that has implemented the Farm to School Program is Illinois. Through their Local Food, Farms & Jobs: Growing

the Illinois Economy 2009 Report, Illinois is working to provide better fruit and vegetable consumption opportunities to its residents.

According to Allen et. al (2009), “The use of local food and farm products would provide on-the-ground education farm and food

training, retain cafeteria dollars within the school system, and provide students with nutritious and flavorful food” (p.35). In order to

make this initiative a success, they suggest such a buy-local program should start small, as to adapt to the necessary space,

employment, and adoption by the public.

Struempler et. al (2014) focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption specifically in a childhood obesity prevention

program. This intervention used school lunch programs, education, and weekly fruit and vegetable tastings to try and increase

consumption of fruits and vegetables. They found that after the program was implemented, there was a significant increase in

consumption in the treatment group from the control group. After considering differences in gender, race, and free/reduced lunch

participants, it was found that nutrition programs can increase intake of fruits and vegetables, and even moderate increases in

consumption can reduce the incidence of chronic disease. The following figure shows the drastic differences between the treatment

and control groups for their fruit and vegetable intake over a period of time (Figure 2, Appendix A).

Even though there have been several studies showing a connection between Farm to School programs and an increase in fruit

and vegetable consumption in children, Nicholson et. al (2013) suggests that “more research is needed to understand barriers schools

face in incorporating these school meals” (p. 314). Some of these suggested barriers include, but are not limited to staffing, nutrition

education, availability of space, legislature, and availability of local fruits and vegetables. Nicholson found that approximately 50% of

schools reported fruit and vegetable availability in school lunches most of the week. The schools with the highest percentage of fruit

and vegetable exposure were those in states with laws and schools with Farm to School programs. The legislature requiring or

encouraging these types of programs was associated with a drastic increase of availability of fruits and vegetables in schools (See

Appendix A). This visual describes the relationship between states having certain legislature and schools enacting the farm to school

program (Figure 3, Appendix A). The highest percentages of schools having fruits and vegetables available on most or all days were

states that incorporated legislature and schools that included the program.

Behavior Targeted:

The behavior we are targeting is healthy eating and nutrition. It is essential that children learn about healthy eating and

nutrition at an early age because according to our socioecological model, there is a strong link to food systems and our education

system (See Appendix A). Teaching children the skills of healthy eating and valuing nutrition will help keep children’s bodies and

minds strong and healthy as they grow into adolescence and adulthood. Targeting the overall health of children at a young age will

help prevent health issues and complications that typically develop in adolescence and early adulthood.

Setting Targeted:

In order for children to learn healthy eating habits, we need to surround them with the idea of eating healthier foods. The

targeted setting is local schools because this is where children spend a majority of their time and where they are heavily influenced by

teachers, community members and the foods that they are served (See Appendix A). Setting up an initiative with local farms and local

producers to have them send fresh vegetables, fruits, produce and other home grown goods to serve at school breakfast and lunch will

open the doors for children to eat more nutrient rich foods and learn about their own local food system.

Proposed Solution and Plan:

Our plan is to apply for funding to incorporate new mechanisms such as utilities, facilities, and school gardens to provide

“farm fresh” fruits and vegetables to the local schools in hopes of preventing and targeting obesity early in school-aged children. Once

the local farms and producers are located, we will contact them to develop a contract with those farms and producers. Our hope is to

further these relationships with local farms and continue to bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the local schools. We believe this

solution will not only benefit school-aged children, but the teachers within these schools as well through staff wellness programs

weaved into the garden. This is also a solution that should need no further grant funding after initial startup funds, as to make it

sustainable to years to come when funding runs out. The funds used for this project will encompass paying for storage units to house

fresh produce, acquire land and housing for a potential school garden where the local producers can teach nutrition and agriculture

classes, and other projects mentioned in detail in a later section.

Goals and Objectives:

Our overall goal and purpose of this project is to educate the younger population about the benefits of fruits and vegetables, as

well as where their food comes from in hopes of targeting childhood obesity early. Upon implementing the program, our goal is that

children will understand the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, as well as having a new perspective about where

their food comes from. In order to achieve our overall goal, our group has specified process, learning, behavioral, and outcome

objectives.

Once the program is implemented, we expect 60% of the children in United Community Schools will have participated in the

program, and taken advantage of the fresh fruit and vegetable options. Following completion of the program, 40% of the children will

be able to explain to their parents or teachers where their food comes from and why it’s important to incorporate fresh foods into their

diet. After one year, we expect 30% of the students who participated in the program initially to still be involved. Lastly, we expect to

see a 5% decrease in weight in the children who are currently overweight or obese at United Community Schools.

Theoretical Framework:

The Social Cognitive Theory would best apply to our program proposal. Influencing children at a young age to eat more fruits

and vegetables is a task that can be successful if executed correctly. The Social Cognitive Theory is made of up three factors: personal

factors, environmental factors and behavioral factors. A child may have their own personal opinion on certain foods. They don’t want

to eat a salad because the last salad they ate had rotten lettuce in it. This could influence their expectation and beliefs for all other

salads, and unfortunately, all other vegetables. This can be changed by school preparing delicious recipes that the students will enjoy

eating.

The second component of the Social Cognitive Theory is environmental factors. If the child doesn’t eat healthy at home, they

won’t want to eat healthy at school. If the school creates a positive environment for eating healthy, such as putting up posters and

encouraging the staff to eat healthy, children will accept the new breakfast and lunch meals.

Lastly, behavioral factors are the third element. If the child eats healthy at a young age, they should continue with this habit for

the rest of their life. This will change the obesity epidemic and people will live longer.

Logic Model:

Shown below is a detailed Logic Model that our research group has developed and describes the process we believe this program will

take if implemented. It also describes the outcomes we predict and takes into account the short, medium and long term outcomes. Our

Logic Model coincides with our Social Ecological Model when it comes to our thought process especially when you see the inputs

listed at the top of our Logic Model

Inputs

Outputs

Outcomes

Staff Volunteers Time Land

Community

Partners

Administrative

Support

Primary

Research

Secondary

Research

Equipment

Advocates

ISU Extension &

Outreach Funding

Activities

Coordinated

Agriculture

Courses

Integrated

Garden

Practices &

Workshops

Community

Workshops on

Gardening

Nutrition Lessons

Meet Your

Producer

Segments Integration

into P.E.

Lessons

Science,

Technology,

Engineering and

Math Lessons

(STEM)

Participation

Students Faculty

Community

Members

Farmers Producers

ISU Extension &

Outreach

Specialists

Short Medium Long

Nutrition

Awareness

Program

Participation

Applicable

Community

Action

Positive

Behavior Change

Program

Sustainability

Health

Conditions

Evaluation Plan

Research Design:

The Farm to School Program will be implemented under a longitudinal study design.

Students will first be evaluated on their fruit and vegetable consumption and knowledge prior to

implementation of the program. This will be done through anonymous surveys related to fruit

and vegetable consumption and nutrition facts. After the program has been implemented in the

schools, the fruit and vegetable consumption and nutrition education will be tracked and

recorded for a minimum of 5 years. This process is known as a comprehensive nutritional

program. The following figure is a visual of the timeline that will occur over the process of the

program. The first year will be used to observe the natural nutritional habits, followed by the

implementation of the program the following year. The program will run for 5 years following

the implementation of the Farm to School Program.

Measures:

Detailed information about the process of fostering change is crucial to understanding

how to strategically and efficiently expand the Farm to School Program at the United Elementary

school. Process measures include attendance at the garden, usage of the storage units and

facilities and stakeholder engagement in quarterly meetings.

Observation of

nutritional

behaviors

Implementation of

F2S Program

Final Observation of

F2S Program

Analyses:

The program will be evaluated by taking readings of how many servings of fruits and

vegetables students are consuming before the garden was made available to the school, then

readings will be taken of how many servings are consumed by students after the garden is made

available. The readings will be taken through anonymous surveys showing the rate of fruit and

vegetable consumption. The program will be evaluated and recorded each year for five years to

see the change in students’ fruit and vegetable consumption.

Appendix A

The figure above depicts the relationship between different causal factors in the

socioeconomic model that we are using to describe the relationships between factors in our grant

proposal. All of the arrows shown relate to our topic of farm fresh produce and product being

provided to local schools. You can see from the number of arrows depicting causal relationships

between factors that the issue of nutritious foods in the local school systems is a complex one.

Our initiative applies to each component of the Social Ecological Model. The community aspect

is very strong because in order for schools to function, the communities of parents and families,

teachers, administration, and students all need to cooperate. Policy is also crucial because

schools need the permission to implement a farm-to-school initiative. Introducing healthy eating

at a young age will influence the individual factor. Each teacher must individually act positively

and motivate the students to eat the food on their plate.

Figure 3

Figure 2

Figure 1

References

Brown, C., & Miller, S. (2008). The Impacts Of Local Markets: A Review Of Research On

Farmers Markets And Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). American Journal of

Agricultural Economics, 90(5), 1296-1302.

Nicholson, L., Turner, L., Chriqui, J., & Chaloupka, F. (2014). State Farm-to-School Laws

Influence the Availability of Fruits and Vegetables in School Lunches at US Public Elementary

Schools. Journal of School Health, 84(5), 310 - 316.

Struempler, B., Mastropietro, L., Parmer, S., Arsiwalla, D., & Smith, S. (2013). Changes in Fruit

and Vegetable Consumption of Third Grade Students in Body Quest: Food of the Warrior.

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior , 45(4), S45-S46.

Trobe, H. L. (2001). Farmers' Markets: Consuming Local Rural Produce. Journal of Consumer

Studies and Home Economics, 25(3), 181-192.

Yoder, A. B., Liebhart, J. L., Mccarty, D. J., Meinen, A., Schoeller, D., Vargas, C., et al. (2014).

Farm to Elementary School Programming Increases Access to Fruits and Vegetables and

Increases Their Consumption Among Those With Low Intake. Journal of Nutrition Education

and Behavior , 46(5), 341-349.