Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

The goal of this clinical trial is to adapt and implement The Value of Our Health (Our Value), a program to promote eating fruit and vegetables, for people living in rural areas. The program will be offered in small, independent grocery stores and delivered by community health workers. The main question this study will answer is: Do customers who shop at stores receiving Our Value eat more fruits and vegetables than customers of other stores?

Arizona State University is studying how local schools and grocery stores can work together to promote fruits and vegetables and support healthy eating among children and families. The goal of this pilot cluster clinical trial is to determine whether FFVP+, a public private partnership between elementary schools and regional Bashas' Food City stores, can used to support fruit and vegetable promotion among children and their caregivers. The study will include elementary school students and caregivers from elementary schools participating in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can schools and Food City stores coordinate promotion of fruits and vegetables through the FFVP+ partnership? Can we recruit and retain student and caregiver dyads and collect the planned measures across the school year? Do children and caregivers in the FFVP+ schools consume more fruits and vegetables than schools not receiving this enhanced intervention. Researchers will compare schools receiving FFVP+ to schools receiving the usual Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program only. This will help us understand whether the partnership is feasible, whether the recruitment and data collection procedures work, and whether the approach is ready to be tested in a larger trial. Participants will: Complete study visits at three time points during the school year Complete surveys about fruit and vegetable intake, preferences, household food availability, and shopping practices Have fruit and vegetable intake measured using a non-invasive Veggie Meter device Have height and weight measured Students will also have fruit and vegetable intake measured during school lunch using plate waste methods.

The goals of this community-based clinical trial are to examine the association between community garden participation and 1) fruit and vegetable intake (primary outcome) and 2) access to healthy food (secondary outcome) among adults aged 18-95 living in low resource communities. Gardens will be randomized to the intervention (n=4 gardens) or control group (delayed intervention, n=3 gardens). Participants will be assigned to one of seven community gardens to receive an 8-week intervention. During the intervention, participants will be asked to volunteer in the garden, participate in garden social activities, participate in healthy cooking demonstrations and educational sessions. Participants will receive educational materials as well. To assess the effects of the intervention, participants will receive a baseline, 8-week, and 6-month survey. Outcome measures will be compared between the intervention and control groups.