O10: Assessing the Impact of Walk Kansas on the Sustainability of Fruit and Vegetable Intake

Abstract

Several health benefits have been associated with physical activity and the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to compare the fruit and vegetable intake of Walk Kansas participants at the beginning and end of the program and 6 months later. Walk Kansas is an 8-week community-base participatory research program that was developed to encourage rural Kansans to increase their physical activity. Eighty-nine counties participated in the program resulting in nearly 17,000 participants. Approximately 14,000 returned completed surveys. Nearly 42% (5,796) and 32% (4,416) of the participants were consuming one or less cups of fruits and vegetables per day, respectively, at the start of the program. Ten percent (∼1,400) of the participants were mailed a post-survey at the end of the 8-week program with approximately 44% returning completed surveys (613). Over 20% (125) reported consuming one or less cups of fruit per day and 15% (92) reported consuming one or less cups of vegetables per day. The 6-month post-survey was mailed to the respondents who completed the 8-week post survey. Nearly 73% (448) returned the 6-month post-survey. Approximately 34% (151) and 25% (113) reported consuming one or less cups of fruits and vegetables, respectively, per day. These findings suggest that participating in a community-base participatory research program for physical activity can improve and sustain, to a certain degree, the fruit and vegetable intake of the participants.