Evidence-based education program to support increased vegetable consumption in children (VG22005)

The VegInfluencer project successfully empowered child settings-based experts, health professionals, and growers with the knowledge, resources, and tools to promote greater acceptance and consumption of vegetables among children.  

Building on the success of the VegKIT project, VegInfluencer introduced a fresh approach by placing vegetable growers at the heart of educational efforts. The primary goal was to raise awareness and drive the utilisation of VegKIT resources, ultimately increasing children’s vegetable intake.   

Challenge 

Children’s vegetable consumption in Australia remains alarmingly low, falling significantly short of the recommendations set by the Australian Dietary Guidelines. According to national health surveys, only 1 in 20 Australian children consumes the recommended amount of vegetables. 

While VegKIT laid a strong foundation for increasing vegetable consumption in children, it faced challenges in effectively reaching diverse groups of influence such as child-focused experts, health professionals, and families. In a crowded information landscape, the VegKIT resources were also at risk of blending into the background, decreasing their overall visibility and adoption by key target groups.  

Response 

VegInfluencer built on the learnings, expertise, resources and tools developed during VegKIT to tackle the declining vegetable consumption in children. The project implemented a range of strategies designed to maximise the reach and impact of its educational efforts:  

• TikTok campaign: The viral #VegInfluencer TikTok campaign increased the visibility of resources, successfully engaging key audience with fun, relatable content to encourage an increase in vegetable consumption.
• Instagram campaign: Featured vegetable-focused posts, VegKIT highlights, VegInfluencer videos, infographics, and relevant content, reinforcing the message.
• Facebook Live sessions: Culinary nutritionists and chefs hosted live demonstrations of quick, healthy recipes suitable for child-centered menus, engaging families and professionals directly.
• Digital factsheets/infographics: Practical, evidence-based strategies for health and child settings-based professionals were distributed to facilitate vegetable promotion in their environments.
• Newsletters: Regular e-newsletters targeted both VegKIT subscribers and broader audiences, such as subscribers to the AUSVEG ‘Australian Grower’ newsletter, and raised awareness of the VegInfluencer project and promoted the VegKIT website.
• Toolkits: Toolkits, located on the VegKIT website, tailored for health professionals, child settings-based professionals, and growers, provided practical guidance for local outreach and implementation.
• Media and conference engagement: VegInfluencer leveraged media coverage and professional events to engage health professionals, child-focused experts, and families directly.
• Website restructuring: The VegKIT website was revamped for improved user experience, featuring accessible program guides, information sheets, recipes, and social media packs tailored to different audiences. 

These efforts ensured a wide distribution of the program's resources and increased engagement across various platforms and target audiences. 

Benefit 

The VegInfluencer project successfully raised awareness about the critical importance of vegetable consumption for children and increased the profile of VegKIT resources. The campaign achieved high levels of engagement - highlights include: 

• The VegInfluencer TikTok campaign reached over 480,000 views.
• From February to April 2024, 2,718 participants viewed the VegInfluencer facebook live events.
• 600+ children and their families were enagaged with meaningful conversations about vegetable intake at the Little Food Festival. 
• From January to June 2024, the VegKIT website received a total of 4,902 views and 860 resources were downloaded during this time.  

The tools and resources developed increased the confidence and capacity of child settings-based experts and health professionals to promote vegetables effectively. 

By integrating evidence-based strategies, VegInfluencer laid the groundwork for sustained improvements in children's vegetable consumption, contributing to long-term public health benefits. 

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