Reduction in mean hemoglobin A1c and decrease in mean LDL-C seen among children in low-income elementary schools<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 11, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention can improve glucose control and reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in school children, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jaimie N. Davis, Ph.D., R.D., from the University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues examined the effects of a school-based gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention (Texas Sprouts) on changes in metabolic outcomes among elementary school children in a secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted at low-income schools. Sixteen elementary schools were randomly assigned to the Texas Sprouts intervention (composed of a Garden Leadership Committee formation; an outdoor teaching garden; 18 student gardening, nutrition, and cooking lessons throughout the school year; and nine monthly parent lessons) or a delayed intervention (eight schools in each arm).<\/p>\n The final analytic sample included 695 children. The researchers found that children from Texas Sprouts schools had a 0.02 percent reduction in mean hemoglobin A1c and a 6.40-mg\/dL decrease in mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with children from control schools. No intervention effects were seen on glucose, insulin, hemostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, or other lipid parameters.<\/p>\n “These findings provide direct evidence to help encourage policy makers, administrators, and school district personnel to adopt and\/or support garden-based learning into elementary schools,” the authors write.<\/p>\n