A school-based nutritional intervention with the involvement of teacher

Objective: Aim of the study was to evaluate a school-based novel approach for increasing children’s fruit consumption.

Methods: In this study, 218 pupils (9-year old) from Cyprus were randomly assigned into two 1-year intervention groups, namely the Educational Material (EDUC) (N=59; weekly educational programme for increasing awareness and improving skills regarding fruit preparation/consumption) and the Exposure group (EXPO) (N=67; exposure of children to the consumption of a fruit on a daily basis by their teacher), or a Control group (N=58; no intervention). Children’s dietary intake was assessed through 2-day dietary records before (October 2008) and at the end of the intervention (June 2009).

Results: Significant higher daily fruit intake was reported by the children in the EXPO and the EDUC groups compared to the Control group at the end of the intervention (P<0.001). Conclusion: Both exposure to daily fruit consumption by the school teacher and “traditional” educational approaches may be effective ways for improving fruit intake of children.