Improving low-income parents’ fruit and vegetable intake and their potential to impact children’s nutrition.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to test a comprehensive nutrition program developed specifically to target low-income parents of young school-aged children and determine whether the programme-resulted in changes in parents' knowledge, attitude, self-confidence, and behaviours related to both their and their child's nutrition in relation to fruit and vegetable intake. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design in which parent centers were selected to participate as either intervention or control sites. The primary method of data collection was self-administered questionnaires. Findings – The results show significant positive changes in parent knowledge, food behaviors, and home environment. No changes were observed in parents' attitudes; however, parent attitudes were high at baseline. Practical implications – This work reinforces the importance of developing well designed interventions that specifically target the intended audience and intended outcomes. Originality/value – This is one of the few studies that have examined the potential and value of nutrition-focused intervention targeting low-income and predominantly Hispanic populations with the potential goal of impacting children