After an 8-week program, parents felt fruits and vegetables were easier to access and prepare, but actual access to healthy foods and children's eating habits did not improve.

We analyzed one assertion about an 8-week intervention aimed at improving parents’ views on fruit and vegetable accessibility. What we’ve found so far is that parents reported feeling fruits and vegetables were easier to access and prepare after the program, but there was no change in their actual access to these foods or in their children’s eating habits [1]. This suggests that the intervention may have shifted how parents think about availability and convenience, without changing the real-world conditions—like store proximity, cost, or availability in the home—that affect what families can actually buy and serve. The lack of change in children’s diet quality indicates that improved perceptions alone did not translate into measurable dietary shifts. It’s possible that the program focused on attitudes, education, or confidence—like teaching quick recipes or encouraging positive messaging—rather than addressing structural barriers such as food prices, transportation, or supply. Without changes in those deeper factors, even stronger beliefs about accessibility may not lead to different behaviors. We don’t know why the perception changed without behavior changing, because the evidence we’ve reviewed doesn’t include details about the program’s design or what specific activities were included. What this means for families: Feeling like healthy foods are easier to get doesn’t always mean they are. If the goal is to improve children’s diets, simply changing how parents feel may not be enough. Real access—like having affordable, fresh produce consistently available at home—might need to be addressed directly.