Objective: The objective of the USDA funded Get FRUVED™ project is to decrease obesity in college-aged individuals through behavioral intervention and environmental support. Data related to healthy eating and sleep habits, physical activity, stress management, along with vending options were reviewed in a needs assessment assignment with the goal to develop four nutrition education interventions, social media messages, and organize a town hall meeting.
Target Audience: Undergraduate and graduate students, university administrators at Sam Houston State University who completed the Get FRUVED™ pre-intervention strategies survey, wellness advocates, university wellness committees and university nutrition and dietetic educators.
Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) applied to the Get FRUVED™ intervention project is designed to capture the overall impact and effect of evidence-based programming using participant data. Teaching students the value of using data to forecast, capture, assemble and sustain community-based interventions is the overriding goal for this research. Plans for campus wellness initiatives and policy updates with our newly renovated student center, dining facilities and vending operation contracts provides timely promotion for our interventions.
Description of Course and Curriculum: The Community Nutrition course includes exploration of community, state and national food and nutrition programs with emphasis on program goals, intervention and policy formulation. Students involved in the Advanced Food Systems Class are also included due to the focus on motivational theory and skills used to influence and for decision making in leadership roles.
Evaluation: Students involved in the data collection learned how to complete campus environmental audits, interpret survey data while meeting course learning objectives. So far, 67 students are involved in this project. Students were receptive to this experiential learning related to research.
Conclusions and Implications: Faculty led research projects can be used for skill development in program planning and motivational techniques as well as exposure to CBPR research methods.
Funding: USDA.
