Objective
Evaluation of a classroom-based, teacher-facilitated, nutrition intervention aimed to improve healthy behaviors and knowledge about healthy eating.
Theory, Prior Research, Rationale
Social-ecological model based community-based program designed to be lower-cost, high reach, and align with Common Core standards.
Description
Target audience was students 7-14 years of age (n=367) during school year 2015-2016 in under-served schools in Chicago and Miami. Common Threads’ Small Bites community-based program teaches students nutrition through eight 1-hour lessons combined with hands-on snack preparation. Teachers were trained to deliver Small Bites and received grade-appropriate curriculum to teach in their classrooms.
Evaluation
Small Bites effects were assessed using a quasi-experimental, pre-post survey design. The majority of participants qualified for free- or reduced-price lunch (84%). Binary and count variables were assessed with generalized linear mixed models, ordinal variables with cumulative logistic mixed models. Participation in Small Bites resulted in a net increase in students with improved nutrition knowledge (32%, p<.001) and higher odds of answering individual questions correctly (all p<.001). Net number of students who consumed a greater variety of colored vegetable groups at least once the previous day increased after programing (9%, P=0.03) and amount consumed of each vegetable color group increased for two out of four vegetable groups (P≤.001). The odds of a student reporting agreement with the statement “I show my family how to cook at home” increased after programing (OR=1.47, P=.05).
Conclusions and Implications
Small Bites increased nutrition knowledge, vegetable intake, and healthy behaviors, supporting nutrition education as an important step in healthy behavioral changes.
Funding
Walmart Foundation; Whole Kids Foundation
Article info
Publication history
P141
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
