IMPACT OF A SHORT-TERM SCHOOL VEGETABLE GARDENS PROGRAM ON FOOD-RELATED BEHAVIOR OF PRESCHOOLERS AND THEIR MOTHERS: SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Spanish; Castilian. El propósito de este estudio fue evaluar el impacto de un Programa de Huertas Escolares (PEHE) de corta duración, dirigido a preescolares y sus madres, sobre el comportamiento alimentario, en relación al consumo de verduras (CAV). La población total, 231 diadas madre-preescolar fueron aleatoriamente distribuidas en: grupo control (GC, n=103) sin participar en el PEHE, y grupo experimental (GE, n=128), con participación de los preescolares en el PEHE; sin embargo, en el GC y GE, 38 y 60 diadas, respectivamente, finalizaron el programa. Los preescolares del GE incrementaron el número de comidas diarias y la frecuencia semanal en que ellos consumían verduras, como igualmente el número de verduras que consumian (P< 0.02). Las madres del GE aumentaron significativamente el número de comidas diarias en que consumían verduras (P< 0.01). Los hallazgos ponen de manifiesto la importancia de implementar un PEHE desde temprana edad para promover estilos de vida saludables.

English. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a short-term school vegetable gardens program (VEGAPRO) focused on preschoolers and their mothers from São Paulo, Brazil, on food-related behavior (FRB) as regards to vegetable consumption. The total population comprised 231dyads mother-preschooler randomly distributed in: control group (CG, n = 103), with no participation in VEGAPRO, and experimental group (EG, n= 128), with participation of preschooler in VEGAPRO. However, 38 and 60 dyads in the CG and EG, respectively, finished the VEGAPRO. Preschoolers enrolling in VEGAPRO increased the number of daily meals and the frequency with which they consume vegetables, as well as the number of vegetables that they consumed (P< 0.02). Mothers from the EG significantly increased the number of daily meals with which they consumed vegetables (P< 0.01). These findings underline the importance of implementing VEGAPRO at an early age to promote a healthy lifestyle.