School Gardening of Indigenous Vegetable as a Way of Improving Key Micro Nutrient Outcomes of Adolescents in Western Kenya

Abstract

Globally, consumption of processed diets is rising with inadequate consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits. In East Africa nutritious diets are not affordable especially for adolescents. In Kenya there exists a barrier to intake of healthy diets including: limited knowledge of healthy food choices, poverty, and rapid growth of urban centers. The study sought to investigate school gardening of indigenous vegetables and its effect on knowledge, attitude and practice towards micronutrient rich diets among school students in Western, Kenya. The results of the study was improvement on knowledge of micronutrient rich foods, increased willingness to try new varieties of indigenous vegetable that are high in micronutrients, acquired cooking skills and increased involvement in school gardening of indigenous and exotic vegetables. In conclusion, school gardening of indigenous vegetables combined with nutrition education and vegetable preparation skills has the potential of improving intake of various micronutrients. Data on consumption of indigenous vegetables by the respondents’ households should be further analyzed to show the home-based component.