School Vegetable Gardens and Their Effects on Children's Diet, Health, and Well-being: A Systematic Review

Urban Farm DB summary

A systematic review analyzed 29 full-text articles from 14,967 identified records to synthesize evidence on school garden interventions for children aged 3–18 years. Most studies found statistically significant improvements in children's nutrition knowledge, vegetable preferences, and willingness to taste vegetables, with small-to-moderate increases in vegetable intake, especially when combined with nutrition education or cooking. BMI effects were mixed and generally small, and long-term success depends on sustainable implementation, longer program duration, and active parental engagement.