Posted on November 22, 2004 at 2:00 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A study under way by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) aims to identify factors that may prevent parents from buying and preparing fruits and vegetables for their children. The three-year, $1.4 million study is funded by the National Cancer Institute.

“Childhood obesity is a huge problem in this country,” said Dr. Frank Franklin, professor of pediatrics and principal investigator. “Some statistics cite as many as 33 percent of all children and adolescents in the United States are obese. These children are at significant risk of developing serious health problems early in life.”

While the problem is easy to recognize, it isn’t so easy to treat. “The study will help us identify obstacles to eating fruits and vegetable and to develop effective strategies to help families overcome these obstacles.”

The study is recruiting 800 parents of children ages 3- to 5-years-old enrolled in Head Start, a national school readiness program for low-income children and families, here and in Houston, Texas. “In Alabama, we are recruiting parents from three Head Start districts covering five counties — Cherokee, Dekalb, Jackson, Jefferson and Marshall,” Franklin said.

Researchers are conducting in-depth interviews in-person and by telephone with parents to gather information about children’s eating habits and parenting techniques used to influence children’s eating behaviors. “We’re also interested in comparing racial, ethnic and geographic factors that may play a role,” Franklin said.

In a related study, led by Monica Baskin, assistant professor of public health with the department of health behavior, researchers are examining the economic impact of fruit and vegetable costs on obesity in children.

Funded by a separate, anonymous source, the one-year pilot study is being conducted by UAB and four other institutions. "Depending on the outcome of the pilot project, there may be potential for funding for a larger-scale study," Baskin said.

The focus of this study is assessing the monetary costs of fruits and vegetables and the perceived costs associated with buying and preparing them. “The goal is to develop a model of cost and how it affects fruit and vegetable consumption in children,” Baskin said. Researchers believe both monetary and perceived costs influence children’s intake of fruits and vegetables. "We think it's the total cost that makes a difference, not only the monetary cost of the items, but the total energy and time it takes to prepare fruits and vegetables,” Baskin said.

The project will rely on data gathered from a recent study conducted by Franklin examining fruit and vegetable consumption of 1,500 area third-graders. "From that data, we’ll also collect information about food availability — what food was available to children at home and at school," Baskin said.

From both studies, researchers hope to gather information about how best to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables children eat. “Whatever we find the barriers to be — cost, access, time — we can develop effective strategies to help children and parents eat more fruits and vegetables, an essential part of a healthy, successful weight-loss or weight-management program,” Franklin said.