EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION AMONG HEAD START PRESCHOOLERS

In 2021, nearly one third of young US children did not eat any fruit daily, and nearly one half did not eat a vegetable. The Head Start to Healthy Lifestyles (HSHL) project is designed to provide experiential learning opportunities to Head Start preschoolers, including learning about food groups, where food comes from, gardening, and food tasting. Parents also received newsletters about healthy eating. Of over 400 program participants, 41 parents of Head Start preschoolers completed both pre-and post-surveys regarding their child’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Children were more likely to have eaten more than one fruit the day before (p=0.035), more likely to have had 100% juice (p=009), and more likely to report they used MyPlate to plan their child’s meal after the experiential learning interventions (p=0.001). Experiential learning may be a promising strategy to enhance fruit and vegetable intake among Head Start preschoolers to improve health outcomes. (Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Kathleen Davis)