Obesity is increasing among youth and is associated with increased risk of certain cancers and other chronic diseases. Fruit, juice, and vegetable (FJV) intake is associated with decreased risk of many types of cancer and obesity, but is well below the recommended minimum of five servings a day. Innovative methods are needed to promote increased consumption among youth.
Goal setting enhances goal attainment and, therefore, facilitates behavior change. Little research has been conducted, however, on the most effective goal setting methods to use with youth. Among adults, the formation of implementation intentions (a detailed plan of when, where, and how goals will be achieved) has been shown to enhance goal attainment and/or behavior change, including dietary change. Research is needed to determine if extending the goal setting process to include implementation intentions is an effective method for enhancing goal attainment, and therefore, increasing FJV intake among youth.
Squire's Quest! is a proven-effective 10-session, 5 week interactive multi media program that enabled children to increase FJV consumption by 1.0 servings a day. Total consumption was still well below five servings a day, however. Additionally, goal attainment was related to FJV consumption among certain sub-groups of youth. Therefore, additional work in this area is warranted. The research outlined in this proposal will expand the goal setting component of this successful intervention to include the formation of implementation intentions. Hypotheses related to the impact of implementation intentions on goal attainment and FJV consumption will then be tested. Issues related to maintenance of youth dietary behavior change will also be explored.
This project is relevant to public health because enhancing our understanding of how to more effectively help young children set and achieve FJV goals should result in increased FJV consumption, which should decrease risk of both obesity and certain cancers in a vulnerable segment of the population.
