BACKGROUND: The health benefits of diets rich in fruits and vegetables (FV) are well established. Recent observational and intervention research suggests that FV consumption may also exert a positive effect on psychological well-being.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess changes in mean Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) scores in response to consuming DGA recommended types and amounts of vegetables. It was hypothesized that increased vegetable consumption would increase mean SHS scores.
METHODS: This study investigated a secondary outcome of a randomized, parallel, non-blinded controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio to a provided vegetable intervention or attention control group.
METHODS: Men and women (n=75) aged 18-65 years, body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, with low habitual vegetable consumption were recruited from Grand Forks, ND, December 2016 to January 2018, for this community-based study.
METHODS: The vegetable intervention consisted of an 8-week feeding phase during which participants were provided with vegetables in DGA recommended types and amounts. The attention control group was not provided vegetables but completed the same testing schedule as the vegetable intervention group.
METHODS: Mean SHS scores were assessed before and after the intervention.
METHODS: Mean SHS scores were analyzed using a 2-way factorial mixed linear model analysis of variance.
RESULTS: A significant interaction between treatment and visit (P=0.015) revealed greater mean SHS scores at week 8 than at baseline in the vegetable intervention group (+0.23 ± 0.11 (mean difference ± standard error of the difference) but no change in the attention control group (-0.15 ± 0.11).
CONCLUSIONS: Greater mean SHS scores were observed after increasing vegetable consumption to meet DGA recommendations, suggesting that adhering to DGA vegetable guidance may help promote psychological well-being.

Consensus regarding optimal outcome measurement has been identified as one of the most important, yet most challenging developments for the future of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) services. In 2011, a process began to adopt a shared conceptual framework and to identify a set of core outcome measures for the comprehensive assessment of psychological adjustment.
The aim of the current article is to outline the collaborative process used to achieve consensus in the academic and clinical measurement of psychological adjustment to CL/P from the age of 8 years onward.
A conceptual framework and corresponding parent- and self-reported outcome measures for use at ages 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, and 25 years have been agreed upon by clinicians, researchers, and patient and parent representatives. All measures have been evaluated according to their psychometric properties, clinical utility, ability to produce meaningful longitudinal data, and a range of pragmatic considerations.
Although the collaborative process has been challenging and has required ongoing dedication from multiple stakeholders, consistency in data collection over time will allow for key research questions in CL/P to be addressed, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally. The process has also demonstrated the clinical utility of the measures and the potential for the gradual integration of the measures into clinical practice. UK progress has sparked global interest, and the adaptation of the framework and its corresponding measures for worldwide use is now a prominent focus.