I (Iris) de Leeuw, MSc

As a PhD-candidate I investigate what the effect of school gardening at primary schools is on the healthy and sustainable eating behaviour of children. 

Background – Not only do unhealthy eating habits increase the risk of diet-related diseases, they are also of concern for planetary health consequences. Hence, there is great interest in children’s eating behaviours and how to change these. Various studies have already focussed on the effect of school gardens and nutrition education on fruit and vegetable intake and nutritional knowledge. However, the gardening programs studied vary considerably in their set-up, implementation, and outcome measures. Therefore, it remains unclear what elements of school gardening are required to make an intervention successful. Moreover, the underlying behaviour change mechanisms have not yet been studied extensively but are crucial to understand what aspects are essential for its effectiveness and for structural embedding of garden-based interventions.
Aim – Contribute to healthier and more sustainable eating habits in children by increasing effectiveness and creating conditions for structural embedding of school gardening programs