Examining the Influence of Cultural Immersion on Willingness to Try Fruits and Vegetables among Children in Guam: the Traditions study

Abstract

Culturally relevant programs among indigenous populations have had positive dietary outcomes, yet less is known about cultural immersion. This study examined the influence of cultural immersion on willingness to try fruits and vegetables (FV) among children 3‐12 y in Guam. A pre‐post, quasi‐experimental design was used to evaluate 3 summer camps with different exposure levels of cultural immersion. High, moderate, and zero exposure was provided by a cultural immersion camp (CIC), a university‐based day camp (UDC), and a recreational sports camp (RSC), respectively. CIC (n=47) delivered 4 culturally adapted nutrition lessons within the context of Chamorro cultural traditions. The UDC (n=23) delivered the same lessons within a physiology framework. The RSC (n=33) was without nutrition lessons and cultural immersion. Children's willingness to try FV was assessed with the interview‐administered WillTry tool before (± 2 weeks) and after (± 1 week) each summer program. Outcomes examined WillTry post‐scores using multivariate regression models adjusting for the relevant pre‐score, sex, age, ethnicity, dose, BMI, and parent's cultural affiliation. Post‐WillTry scores for local novel FV by highest exposure camp to lowest were 2.30, 2.33, 2.27. For local common FV, the post‐scores were 2.62, 2.61, 2.56, respectively. No differences by the primary outcomes were found. An unexpected result was the higher imported FV WillTry post‐score of 2.81 for RSC compared to the 2.75 for UDC (P=0.023). The Traditions study is the first to explore novel influences on dietary habits and reveals further research involving indigenous peoples and cultural immersion are needed.