Source: TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY submitted to
IMPLEMENTING AND TESTING A MODEL TO REDUCE OBESITY INDICES IN RURAL FAMILIES THROUGHNUTRITION EDUCATION AND HYDROPONIC GARDENING (NEHG)
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0213353
Grant No.
2008-55215-18836
Project No.
TENR-2007-04578
Proposal No.
2007-04578
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
31.5
Project Start Date
Mar 1, 2008
Project End Date
Jun 30, 2010
Grant Year
2008
Project Director
Anderson, M.
Recipient Organization
TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
BOX 5033
COOKEVILLE,TN 38505
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Obesity is a serious medical crisis in the United States. Prevention of obesity in children and adults is a national priority of several federal initiatives including Healthy People 2010, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Tennessee Technological University, in partnership with a rural Tennessee high school, proposes to test a strategy for increasing vegetable intake and reducing obesity measures in rural adolescents and their families through the use of hydroponic gardening in a vocational classroom. Specifically, the cost effectiveness of hydroponic gardening to produce enough vegetables to significantly increase vegetable intake will be studied. The impact of consuming hydroponically-grown vegetables on two obesity measures (Body Mass Index and blood pressure) will be determined. High school vocational students and their parents who participate in this study will complete food records and food surveys at regular intervals during the two year study, and be measured for Body Mass Index and blood pressure. High school vocational students will learn to maintain the hydroponic gardening systems at their school, and be involved in the harvesting and consumption of a variety of fresh vegetables.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
75%
Developmental
25%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2051499106040%
7036010101040%
7036050302020%
Goals / Objectives
Objectives: 1. To determine cost effective strategies for using hydroponic gardening in high school vocational classrooms to; produce vegetables for rural adolescents and their families. a. collect data on the variety and yield of vegetables grown b. assess cost effectiveness and sustainability procedures c. develop procedures related to food safety and sanitation, food preparation and storage of vegetables grown hydroponically 2. To determine the impact of class-produced hydroponically grown vegetables on obesity indices in participants. a. collect data on height, weight, food intake and food habits b. collect demographic information c. compare data of participants to non-participants d. collect information on how families will sustain changes in vegetable consumption
Project Methods
The goal of this revised USDA-CSREES Bridge grant project is to test a model for increasing vegetable intake and reducing obesity indices in rural families through the use of hydroponic gardening. All students enrolled in the three vocational classes at DeKalb County High School DeKalb County, Tennessee) will be invited to participate. TTU researchers will visit each classroom to explain the project and distribute informed consent forms to be taken home to parents/guardians. To participate in the study, high school students and their families must be willing to take home hydroponically grown vegetables, and consume them on a regular basis. Student participants must also agree to complete data collection forms four times per year. All vegetables will be grown by the students at the high school and sent home with those who agree to participate. All participating students will be assessed on two obesity indices four times per year for two years: Body Mass Index (height and weight), and blood pressure; parents/guardians will be assessed on these measures two times per year for two years. In order to obtain food intake information, each student participant will complete a fruit and vegetable screening tool and a 2-day food record four times per year, At the beginning and end of the study, the high school participants will complete the Youth and Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire (YAQ). The student participants will also compete two focus group sessions; one session in May each year. Parents/guardians will complete the fruit and vegetable screening tool and the 2-day food record two times per year for two years. The types of vegetables grown, the amounts harvested, costs of growing hydroponic vegetables, and time for maintenance will be determined over the two year study period. It is hypothesized that growing vegetables hydroponically will be an easy, cost-effective way to increase consumption of vegetables, and reduce obesity indices in rural families.

Progress 03/01/08 to 06/30/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The hydroponics gardening systems were left at the high school at the end of the project. The high school vocational classes plan to continue to use the systems to teach hydroponic growing methods. Procedures for growing vegetables hydroponically in a vocational greenhouse were developed. Vegetable yield never reached the capacity to provide several servings of vegetable for each student/family in the study. Cost data on growing vegetables hydroponically in a vocational greenhouse were recorded. Data related to obesity indices was collected five times, and the results analyzed statistically. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included the Career and Technical Education students and teachers at a rural high school. The students and teachers were trained on how to use hydroponic gardening systems to grow lettuces and tomatoes. The high school collaborated with Tennessee Tech Universrity to allow the research to be conducted in the vocational greenhouse. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was rural high school students enrolled in Career and Technical Education classrooms. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of consumption of hydroponically grown vegetables on obesity indices such as Body Mass Index. The students were given various amounts of lettuces and tomatoes to take home for consumption with their families. Food habits were analyzed using a Food Frequency questionnaire during five data points. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: There were no major project modifications; the growing process was much slower than anticipated and therefore yield was much lower than expected, but we did not change the objectives of the study.

Impacts
The growing process for hydroponic vegetables in a vocational greenhouse was much slower, and more complicated than originally planned for. Although tomatoes and lettuces were eventually successfully grown, the yield was never enough for all the participants to have produce on a daily basis. The cost analysis revealed that the payback period was 8 years for the tomatoes, and 2400 pounds would have to be produced. In reality the hydroponic system would be prohibitive for a vocational greenhouse, unless the equipment and supplies were donated. The hydroponic growing procedures were more time consuming and fell outside of the regular classroom activites for Career and Technical Education classes. Consumption of the produce did not statistically impact obesity indices in this population.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 03/01/08 to 02/28/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The hydroponics gardening equipment has been installed at the High School. The installation process took 2 months, as we had to modify the systems purchased to operate in a greenhouse environment. We started heirloom tomato seeds last June, but did not get any yield from them, so we started regular hybrid tomato seeds and are having better yields. We attempted to grow heirloom squash, green peppers, eggplant, and spinach but these have not been successful in our hydroponics systems. We have successfully grown regular hybrid green leaf lettuces from seed. We are documenting the processes to maintain the hydroponics systems, and the yield from each plant. We have had one distribution of produce to participating families. So far, we have not been able to establish a large enough yield of produce to have consistent distributions to families. We have collected demographic information from participating students and their families. We have collected Stages of Change information, BMI and food intake data three times since last May. We have conducted one focus group with students. There has been no dissemination of data to date. PARTICIPANTS: The project investigators, Anderson and Branson, have collaborated with the vocational teacher to install the hydroponics equipment and refine the growing processes. The hydroponics vendor has provided limited support. TTU Faculty have provided expertise in qualitiative research and statistical analysis as outlined in the budget. No indiviudal or partner has been added to the project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience is high school vocational students in a rural county. Thirty students are participating in the project. They have provided demographic, BMI, and food intake data on three separate dates since the beginnning of the project. They have received instruction in growing vegetables using a hydroponics gardening system. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: A major change would be the delay in achieving consistent produce distributions to the families. The process for installing the systems and understanding the growing procedures has taken longer than initially planned for.

Impacts
Change in knowledge: we are documenting the processes, procedures and costs of installing and maintaining a hydroponics gardening system in a vocational high school program. We have faced many challenges in learning how the hydroponics systems work best, and we have adjusted from growing heirloom seeds (which did not produce any yield) to growing regular hybrid seeds. We have encountered more problems with pests than we counted on, and we have had to learn how to hand-pollinate some plants as there are no natural pollinators in the greenhouse. Change in actions: originally we thought the vocational students would have more access to learning how to grow the hydroponic vegetables, but their access has been limited due to class time. We also learned after the fact they they could not handle any of the chemicals (nutrients and pesticides) used in maintaining the systems so that aspect has been the responsiblity of the researchers and vocational teacher. We planned to have had several produce distributions by this point in the project, but the growing process has been much slower than we thought.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period