The Tooty Fruity Vegie project: a collaboration between education, health and the community

Inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables are consistently and strongly associated with increased incidences of many cancers, cardiovascular and coronary disease (Joshipura et al 1999, Ness 1997, Block et al 1992). Despite this, most Australian adults' diets fall well below recommended daily intakes (Stickney 1994, CSIRO 1993). Whereas intake levels appear adequate among pre-schoolers, they become more inadequate as children get older (ABS 1995, AHC 1996). Because of this, as well as evidence that dietary habits formed early in life tend to continue into adulthood (Auld et al 1988, Gutlin 1990), we developed a fruit and vegetable promoting intervention for primary schools. We used exisitng knowledge, the successes, failures and lessons learned, from similar Australian and overseas projects (Gortmaker et al 1999, Reynolds et al 2000, Baranowski et al 2000, Story et al 2000, Stafford 1997, Contento et al 1995, NHF 1997), as well as broader health promotion and behaviour change theories (St Leger 1993, WHO Ottawa Charter 1986). The result was the Tooty Fruity Vegie (TFG) project, a two-year multi-strategy program, which ran in ten primary schools during 1999 and 2000.