Wisconsin Farm to School Programs Help Kids Eat Better

Last year, in eight schools throughout Wisconsin, researchers were checking out students’ lunch trays. Why? To find out the variety and amount of fruits and vegetables the children chose (or were served)—and actually ate.

Their work was part of an evaluation of Farm to School (F2S) initiatives in Wisconsin. A national program, F2S aims to get more locally produced, healthful foods into school lunches, encourage better eating habits among children, and ultimately, turn the tide on the obesity epidemic that affects one-third of children and adolescents nationwide.

Farm to School - In the Classroom Slideshow

Asking Questions and Observing Food Choices

The evaluation, led by Tara LaRowe, PhD, an assistant scientist in the Department of Family Medicine (DFM), took place in eight schools across each of Wisconsin’s public health regions. Six of the schools had one to three years of previous experience participating in F2S; the remaining two were new to the program.

Researchers collected two types of data:

1. A survey, administered at the beginning and the end of the school year, that measured students’ self-reported knowledge of food/nutrition and agriculture, attitudes toward trying new fruits and vegetables, and exposure to and liking of fruits and vegetables; and
2. Direct observation of over 2000 student lunch trays, first on the lunch line and then again before tray disposal, throughout the fall.

Final data analysis is still underway. However, preliminary results suggest that in schools with F2S experience, children reported more favorable attitudes towards fruits and vegetables, including new ones, than their counterparts in schools new to F2S.

In addition, lunch tray observations showed that in schools with F2S experience, children chose (or were served) a wider variety and greater amount of fruits and vegetables, and consumed more of what they selected.

“Generally speaking, what we’re seeing supports the focus on Farm to School,” Dr. LaRowe commented. “By providing access and exposing children to more fruits and vegetables, they are more likely to try them, like them, and eat them.”

The evaluation team presented their results in an abstract at the Obesity Society’s 2011 meeting.

Informing Future Expansion and Policy

The evaluation team’s work was part of a larger partnership between the AmeriCorps Farm to School program; the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS); the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection; the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Prevention of Obesity and Diabetes collaboration.

Right now, more than 34 districts in Wisconsin have implemented F2S programs, though each varies according to community strengths and the ideas of the people involved.

“We’re trying to determine what makes a comprehensive, effective F2S program in Wisconsin,” Dr. LaRowe explained. “We want to see what best strategies are needed to affect children’s behavior.”

Although the current project’s funding ends in February 2012, F2S programs will continue in some Wisconsin schools, especially those where there is an AmeriCorps member. Those schools may also continue smaller-scale evaluations of their F2S program on their own.

The team will report final evaluation results to the DHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. LaRowe hopes that positive outcomes of F2S will inform future program policy and expansion statewide.

She said that although the state legislature has approved a Wisconsin Farm to School Coordinator position, it’s currently not funded.

“At the policy level, there is a lot of interest in Farm to School, but there needs to be a state-organized effort to provide assistance, training, and resources for schools—and for farmers.”

Related Article: Farm to School Program Report