Web-based 5-A-Day Education for High School Students

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase I SBIR application proposes the development and pilot testing of an interactive, web-based nutrition program, called www.JiveforFive.com, to be offered to high school students (ages 14 to 18) through their health curriculum. This program will be based on the 5 A Day for Better Health Program, initiated by the CDC, NCI, and the fruit and vegetable (F&V) industry. The positive benefits of adequate F&V intake are well documented. Research has shown relationships between F&V consumption and the prevention of certain types of cancer and heart disease; poor eating can result in obesity and a number of serious health concerns. In general, adolescents consume only 2.8 servings of fruits or vegetables a day, which is half of the recommendation based on the Healthy People 2010 goal. A CDC survey found that 78 percent of high school students had not eaten five or more servings of fruits or vegetables per day in the previous week. For high school students, nutrition education is addressed in health classes utilizing textbooks or in physical education classes, an approach that is neither complete nor tailored to students' needs. Current efforts to increase F&V intake have either met with limited success, or when successful, have involved a tremendous amount of time and attention. Further, other health risks among youth, such as tobacco and drug use, are often higher priorities in school settings. Thus, there is a need for nutrition programs that can be easily integrated into existing school health curricula. The concept of www.JiveforFive.com is to use the Internet to achieve a tailored, psychoeducational intervention that is not currently available to high school students. The proposed program, www.JiveforFive.com, offers an online personalized education program that will provide students with empirically-based information and tailored feedback in a confidential manner. If such a program demonstrated effectiveness, school personnel would likely regard it as a cost-effective way to increase F&V consumption among high school students.