Files
Abstract
Low fruit and vegetable consumption among youth is a public health concern in the United States (US) with less than 10% of children and adolescents consuming the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables (FV). The lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet can increase childrens risk for many chronic diseases such as obesity. Since pollination is one step that must occur for the growth FV, researchers chose to make honey bee pollination an underlying theme of the curriculum. A gardening curriculum on pollinated FV may be a promising way to improve preferences for FV among this population. The BSES curriculum includes lessons pertaining to cooking, nutrition, and gardening to teach about fruits and vegetables. The overall goal of this intervention/control pilot study is to determine if the Bee Smart, Eat Smart (BSES) curriculum will influence childrens knowledge of FV, attitudes towards FV, and willingness to try FV.