The impact of an intervention taught by trained teachers on childhood fruit and vegetable intake: a randomized trial (original) (raw)
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The Impact of an Intervention Taught by Trained Teachers on Childhood Overweight
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2012
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a six-months' nutrition program, delivered and taught by classroom teachers with in-service nutrition training, on the prevention of overweight and obesity among children in grades 1 to 4. In this randomized trial, four hundred and sixty four children from seven elementary schools were allocated to a nutrition educational program delivered by their own teachers. Intervened teachers had 12 sessions of three hours each with the researchers throughout six months, according to the topics nutrition and healthy eating, the importance of drinking water and healthy cooking activities. After each session, teachers were encouraged to develop activities in class focused on the learned topics. Sociodemographic, anthropometric,
Jornal de Pediatria, 2009
Objective: To assess the effects of a nutritional education program on the prevalence of overweight/obesity and on the foods eaten by schoolchildren in the 2nd grade of primary education. Methods: The sample was made up of 135 schoolchildren, recruited from one private and one public school in Florianópolis, Brazil, and allocated to either an intervention group (n = 55) or a no-intervention group (n = 80). The children underwent two anthropometric assessments and two dietary intake assessments, before and after attending a nutritional education program. The program consisted of eight fortnightly meetings and covered subjects related to healthy diets, how to make healthy snacks, and physical activity. Nutritional status was classified according to body mass index for age, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts as reference, and the foods the children ate at school were classified according to the Santa Catarina School Canteens Act. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, and values of p ≤ 0.05 were defined as significant. Results: The percentage of overweight/obese schoolchildren increased from 21.8 to 23.6% in the intervention group and from 33.7 to 35.0% in the no-intervention group (p > 0.05). The intervention group significantly (p = 0.013) reduced its intake of artificial juice, which is prohibited by the Act. In the no-intervention group, there was a significant increase in intake of prohibited foods, such as mass-produced snacks (p = 0.021) and soda (p = 0.031). Furthermore, the intake of breakfast cereal, which is appropriate for eating at school, decreased (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Despite its short duration, after attending the nutritional education program, there were improvements in the quality of the food the schoolchildren were eating.
Design and Implementation of a 5-Year School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2020
Objective: To describe the research methods of a multicomponent nutrition education program empowering teachers to improve nutrition literacy and prevent obesity among elementary school students. Design: Prospective 5-year study following a pre-post intervention design. Setting: Four elementary schools in a high-needs area in Washington, DC: 2 intervention and 2 comparison schools. Participants: Approximately 100 teachers (25/school) and 800 students (200/school) enrolled over the study period. Intervention: Healthy Schoolhouse 2.0 will engage teachers as agents of change by designing, implementing, and evaluating a structured professional development program to support the integration of nutrition concepts in the classroom. Main Outcome Measures: Change in pre-post survey assessment of students' nutrition literacy, attitudes, and intent; change in teachers' self-efficacy toward teaching nutrition; fruit and vegetable consumption data collected 6 times/y in the cafeteria. Analysis: Process evaluation throughout the study to document implementation and challenges. Multilevel mixed modeling will be used to determine the impact of the intervention.
Background: Schools are the major locations for implementing children's dietary behavior related educational or interventional programs. Recently, there has been an increase in school-based nutrition interventions. The objective of this systematic review was to overview the evidence for the effectiveness of school-based nutrition intervention on fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: PubMed was used to search for articles on school-based nutrition interventions that measured students' fruit and vegetable consumption. Our search yielded 238 articles. The article was included if published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in English language, administered in the United States, and conducted among a population-based sample of children in Kindergarten through eighth grade. A total of 14 publications met the inclusion criteria. Results: Eight articles successfully showed the positive effect on increasing fruit and or vegetable consumption while the other six did not. Several factors, including (but not limited to) intervention duration, type of theory used, style of intervention leadership, and positively affecting antecedents of fruit and vegetable consumption were compared; however, no dominant factor was found to be shared among the studies with significant findings. Given that the criteria for selection were high, the lack of consistency between interventions and positive outcomes was surprising. Conclusion: With high levels of scrutiny and budget constraints on school nutrition, it is imperative that more research be conducted to identify the effective intervention components.
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2012
Objective: To assess the impact of a multicomponent nutrition education program on student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to consumption of fruits and vegetables (FVs). Design: Quasi-experimental pretest/posttest research design; 3 study conditions (Interventionþ, Intervention, Comparison). Setting: Six schools from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Participants: Three hundred ninety-nine low-income third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. Intervention: The Interventionþ condition included 4 components: traditional Network-LAUSD program, new standardized nutrition curriculum, teacher training workshops, and parent nutrition education workshops. The Intervention condition included 2 components: traditional Network-LAUSD program and teacher training workshops. Main Outcome Measures: Fruit and vegetable consumption, knowledge of food groups, attitudes and beliefs toward FVs, and parent/teacher influence on students' attitudes toward FVs. Analysis: Linear mixed models. Results: The Interventionþ resulted in a positive change in knowledge (P < .05), attitudes and beliefs toward vegetables (P < .01), and teacher influence on students' FV attitudes (P < .05). Conclusions and Implications: Although this study influenced knowledge and attitudes regarding FVs, a significant increase in students' FV consumption was not observed. Given the ultimate aim of the LAUSD nutrition efforts is to increase FV consumption, future studies should consider adopting new intervention strategies, such as focusing on changing the school food environment.
School-Based Nutrition Education Intervention
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 2011
Objective: To test the feasibility and efficacy of an enhanced curriculum delivered in a ninth-grade health class to promote a healthy weight. Design: A quasi-experimental design utilizing pre-and postmeasurements of height, weight, and self-reported eating behaviors was employed to evaluate the impact. Setting: Participants were enrolled in 2 rural high schools in eastern North Carolina. Participants: Participants were ninth-grade students enrolled in a required health class. Participants in intervention group (n = 214) and control group (n = 185) were aged 13 to 19 years with an overweight prevalence of 41% and 39% at baseline, respectively. Intervention: Students in the intervention group received 6 hours of nutrition education based on social cognitive theory, which was integrated within the existing health course. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in body mass index and fruit and vegetable intake were the dependent variables. Independent sample t-test and χ 2 were used to assess within and between group changes. Results: Mean body mass index decrease (0.11 kg/m 2) was greater in the intervention school than in the control group (0.04 kg/m 2 , P = 0.34). The proportion of students with an increase of 1 serving of fruit or vegetable was greater in the intervention and approached significance for both vegetable and fruit intake (P = 0.09 and P = 0.08, respectively). Conclusions: Hands-on nutrition education for all students in a required health class may be an effective strategy for reaching overweight teens with behaviors associated with healthy weights. Further study is needed to determine whether results can be replicated and sustained.
School-based nutrition education: features and challenges for success
Nutrition Food Science, 2014
Purpose-School-based nutrition education (NE) possesses the capacity to influence learners' nutrition behaviours. This review aimed at critically assessing published articles on school-based NE intervention in order to identify factors hindering or contributing to the success of interventions. Design/methodology/approach-An electronic search of articles was conducted in Medline, PubMed, CINAHL databases, Google and snow-balling. Included in the review were Schoolbased studies with classroom NE with or without nutrition services and studies published between 2000 and 2013. School-based non-intervention studies and interventions that did not include a nutrition teaching component were excluded in the review. Findings-Thirty nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Features of successful NE interventions included the use of behavioural theories especially the social cognitive theory (SCT) and the involvement of trained teachers in the implementation of interventions. Capacity development for teachers, time constraints, school policies and implementation problems of multicomponent interventions were some of the identified challenges encountered in the studies reviewed. Originality/value-Trained teachers are invaluable assets in interventions to improve nutrition behaviours of learners. Challenges associated with teacher oriented school-based NE intervention can be overcome by properly designed and implemented interventions based on behavioural theory.
Nutrition education in schools: experiences and challenges
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003
Health promotion from the early stages in life by fostering healthy eating practices and regular physical activity has the potential for a major impact on health and well-being during childhood and later stages in life. School-based nutrition education should consider the needs and interests of students, teachers and the school. Educational strategies include efforts to increase health awareness, communication and skill building. Previous literature reviews identified educational strategies directly relevant to a behavioural focus and theory-driven strategies among the elements conducive to successful programmes. Other features that contribute to gain effectiveness are the provision of adequate time and intensity for the intervention, involvement of families, particularly for younger children, and incorporation of self-assessment and feedback in interventions for older children. School meals provide a valuable opportunity for nutrition education. The emphasis on environmental and behavioural factors in successful school-based physical activity and nutrition interventions highlights the importance of involving parents and other community members.
Public Health Nutrition, 2018
ObjectiveThe main objective of the present study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education curriculum to enhance young children’s dietary behaviours and nutrition and health knowledge.DesignA randomized controlled design was utilized. The intervention was designed to improve children’s nutrition and health knowledge and preferences for fruits and vegetables through classroom lessons and activities, including direct instruction and tastings (implemented twice per week for 6 weeks).SettingThe study took place in elementary schools in a Midwestern US state.SubjectsOne hundred and thirty-one 2nd grade children from ten classrooms (n 82 intervention, n 49 control) participated.ResultsMultiple regression analyses that adjusted se for clustering by classroom were used to test hypotheses. Children in the intervention condition demonstrated significantly higher scores on the nutrition and health survey (β=0·47, P=0·001) and showed greater preferences for fruits and vegetables at post...