The Effects of Horticultural Activity Program on Vegetable Preference of Elementary School Students

Ha-Ram Kim, Seon-Ok Kim and Sin-Ae Park
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Ha-Ram Kim: Department of Animal and Plant Assisted Therapy, Graduate School of Agriculture and Animal Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
Seon-Ok Kim: Department of Bio and Healing Convergence, Graduate School, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea
Sin-Ae Park: Department of Bio and Healing Convergence, Graduate School, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-17

Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate effects of a horticultural activity program based on a mediating variable model for improving vegetable preference among elementary students. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 136 students and 136 primary carers in Seoul, South Korea. Based on the mediation model for improving children’s vegetable preference, 12 sessions were conducted, including gardening, nutrition education, and cooking activities using harvests. The program was conducted weekly for 12 weeks from March to July 2019. To investigate the effect of this program, mediating factors of the children were evaluated before and after the program. Pearson correlation analysis was used to identify the mediating factors. The nutrition index, attitude, knowledge, and eating habits of the primary carers were evaluated. Results showed children’s nutrition and gardening knowledge, dietary self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and vegetable preference were significantly improved ( p < 0.001). Primary carers showed significant improvement in the nutrition index, knowledge, and attitude ( p < 0.05). The correlation analysis confirmed that most of the mediating factors had significant correlations ( p < 0.05). Therefore, administering a structured program involving horticultural activities and nutrition education as mediating factors for 12 sessions was effective in improving eating behavior for vegetables elementary school students and primary carers.

Keywords: eating habits; horticultural education; mediating factors; nutrition education; parent education; vegetable intake (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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