Orange County Health Department’s Green SPROUTS Initiative to Reduce Childhood Obesity [POSTER]

Over one-third of children in the United States are overweight. Childhood obesity may lead to chronic health outcomes such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and asthma. Research demonstrates a link between obesity and poverty. Eighty-three percent of children in the Parramore community of Orange County between the ages of 0-17 years live 200 percent below the poverty level (Parramore A Call to Action, 2011).The community also qualifies as a food desert.

The Orange County Health Department Green SPROUTS (Sustainable Practices to Reduce Obesity Using Teachable Stewardship) project addresses childhood obesity in several underserved neighborhoods, including the Parramore community, throughout Orange County, Florida. According to the Myers Action Institute, gardening with children at school programs may encourage children to look more favorably on eating produce due to their efforts aiding in the growth. In addition, gardening appears to foster nurturing, an appreciation for nature and diversity, and many other important life skills that support and encourage children to become stewards of our natural resources.

Green SPROUTS provides lesson plans and activities, as well as gardening supplies for preschoolers at Early Learning and Head Start Centers in the targeted communities. The project offers hands-on gardening experiences, promotes healthy eating, and encourages physical activity. The project uses bucket garden beds to introduce the concepts of: ‘garden to plate’, making healthy choices, the benefits of good nutrition and the importance of being physically active. Components of the project are incorporated into the "Lets Grow a Salad" lesson plan which was designed and prepared by the Orange County Health Department. The culminating activities of the project include the participants harvesting and consuming the vegetables that they grow in a salad.