Background: Health literacy research in school gardening is lacking. Development of a psychometrically sound survey can fill this gap. Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to develop and validate a Functional Health Literacy Survey for School Gardening (FHLS-SG), and (2) to determine the effect of health literacy on reciprocal…

Background: We sought to determine the impact of school gardens and nutrition education on student fruit and vegetable consumption from limited-income communities in Alabama. Methods: Third grade students at 99 Alabama schools with and without gardens on-site were randomized to receive either nutrition education or to a wait-list control group.…

Background: Our objective was to evaluate the effect of garden-based learning on outlook and behaviors toward vegetables among primarily Latinx students. An educational strategy, garden-based learning is a teaching tool that complements other disciplines. Methods: Third- and fourth-grade students at 4 elementary schools with different garden…

In this snapshot, I discuss the potential value of gardening as a reciprocal research method. I draw on my experience of partnering with a school in establishing and supporting an ongoing primary school vegetable garden, as part of a long-term research project. I suggest that the garden creates a space in which to "talk around" the…

If people want to be healthy they need to eat. However, food poverty (the inability to afford or access food to make up a healthy diet) is just one of the consequences of climate change. For many children in UK schools, food poverty is their everyday experience. The UK's food poverty rate is suggested to be among the highest in Europe; despite the…

Learning through gardening is known to be an educational strategy in which a garden is used as a teaching tool. Systemic reviews of the impact of school gardening on academic performance and dietary habits foreground the need for additional quantitative studies that would use strong experimental designs. The aim of the present research was to…

Background: Activities to foster food literacy in young people are increasingly common in schools, driven both by the public health sector and by curriculum mandates from education officials in government. In Canada, both Kindergarten-Grade 12 (K-12) classroom teachers and educators from community organisations deliver food literacy education…

Objective: As childhood obesity continues to threaten the overall health of young people, K-12 teachers are uniquely poised to advocate for, and support food and nutrition, school lunch and student health. Yet, classroom teachers are largely uninvolved in school lunch. School lunch is typically viewed as separate from the rest of the school day…

Background: Recent efforts supporting children's dietary behaviors suggest the importance of food literacy (FL), which is a multidimensional concept that encompasses food-related knowledge, skills, and behaviors. To date, FL has been largely informed by adult and adolescent research. Aims: To assess the FL experiences, perceived skills, and…

In recent years, many schools have taken up food gardening. This is a welcome trend, but it has had to be conducted as an extracurricular activity, often with the help of, or run by, parents and grandparents. Growing vegetables and fruit, if it is to be done well, is a complex activity. The potential good outcomes for health, learning, and…

While school gardens are familiar in many Western contexts and research has reported significant pedagogical and affective is correct benefits of these resources, there is limited reporting of their use in non-western contexts. A pilot school gardening project involving a quasi-experimental mixed method design was undertaken in the Sultanate of…

Site-level assessment questionnaires (SLAQs) were developed to assess nutrition and physical activity practices and environments in schools and other places children spend time in order to facilitate program planning and evaluation. After expert panel review for content validity, questionnaires were feasibility tested by users in six schools,…

This paper reports research into a project to encourage KS1 and KS2 pupils to eat more healthily by supporting their families to grow their own fruit and vegetables at home. Participants were recruited through a Primary School Trust comprising four primary schools in the North West of England. They were given practical support to enable them to…

Minority children and adolescents living in rural areas, below poverty guidelines, are less likely to engage in healthy food choices or a healthy lifestyle, and this contributes to obesity issues. Providing children with the skills and knowledge to lead healthy lives is a way to combat this epidemic. Focus groups were conducted at three Extension…

The purpose of this study was to determine if three elementary school garden club programs influenced students' attitudes and behaviors regarding fruit and vegetable consumption. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis took place, in the form of pretest and posttest questionnaires as well as participant interviews. Overall,…