scholarly journals Using formative research to develop the healthy eating component of the CHANGE! school-based curriculum intervention

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne M Boddy ◽  
Zoe R Knowles ◽  
Ian G Davies ◽  
Genevieve L Warburton ◽  
Kelly A Mackintosh ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-222
Author(s):  
India Ornelas ◽  
Kassia Rudd ◽  
Sonia Bishop ◽  
Desiree Deschenie ◽  
Emily Brown ◽  
...  

Objective: Navajo children are at increased risk for obesity, in part due to limited access to healthy foods. School garden interventions increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables and consumption of healthy foods. Our study describes the development and pilot testing of a school garden intervention for Navajo elementary school children. Methods: We reviewed existing school garden interventions and conducted formative research with students, caregivers, and school staff to inform the intervention. The intervention consisted of a garden built at the school and a yearlong curriculum on gardening and healthy eating. We pilot-tested the intervention in an elementary school on the Navajo Nation. Results: Formative research revealed the importance of incorporating Diné culture, including traditional growing practices and the preparation of traditional foods into the curriculum. School staff also stressed the value of tying the curriculum to state and Diné educational standards. Students enjoyed opportunities for hands-on activities and snack preparation. Conclusions: Schools have a meaningful role to play in addressing childhood obesity disparities among Navajo children. School-based interventions that draw on cultural strengths and include healthy traditional practices can be a promising strategy for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption.


2014 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Aschemann-Witzel ◽  
Tino Bech-Larsen ◽  
Alice Grønhøj

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to study the extent of change in parents' fruit and vegetable consumption during a period when their children participate in a school-based healthy eating intervention. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 256 12-year-old Danish schoolchildren took part in a text-message feedback intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. One parent of each child filled out self-administered questionnaires at three points during the 40-week study period. In the questionnaire, stated consumption, perceived influence factors on their consumption and self-efficacy and self-regulation were measured. Findings – Only half of the parents stated that they met the “five a day” target. These parents reported good availability of fruit and vegetables in their household, high consumption among their friends and frequent exercise and they were characterised by high self-efficacy levels. Stated consumption increased during the period of the intervention targeted at their children. Parents that reported an increase had, at the start of the intervention, reported low levels of consumption, lack of encouragement to eat healthy at their workplace and lower autonomous self-regulation. Research limitations/implications – The consumption data is limited to self-report. Practical implications – The results indicate that parents can be influenced indirectly by school-based interventions targeted at their children. Future interventions should include the family with the intent to support positive interaction that might further promote and sustain healthy eating habits. Originality/value – The study considers the possible effects school interventions targeting children may have on the immediate family, an aspect generally overlooked in school-based health initiatives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 675-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natoshia M. Askelson ◽  
Patrick Brady ◽  
Grace Ryan ◽  
Cristian Meier ◽  
Cristina Ortiz ◽  
...  

School-based interventions can play an important role in improving childhood and adolescent nutrition and preventing obesity. Schools offer a unique opportunity to implement policy, systems, and environmental interventions targeting healthy eating behaviors. An intervention was piloted in six middle schools featuring behavioral economics–based changes to the lunchroom, communication training, and communicate cues for food service staff. The pilot study employed a multicomponent evaluation with students and food service directors and staff including a lunchroom assessment, online surveys, production records, and interviews. Five schools increased their scores on the lunchroom assessment tool, and four schools increased the number of servings produced of healthy food items. Interviews with food service directors indicated the interventions was feasible and well received. School-based policy, systems, and environmental interventions targeting healthy eating behaviors may play a role in preventing obesity in children and adolescents.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2667
Author(s):  
Barbara Lohse ◽  
Kathryn Faulring ◽  
Diane C. Mitchell ◽  
Leslie Cunningham-Sabo

Public health guidelines advise eating regular meals without defining “regular.” This study constructed a meaning for “regular” meals congruent with dietary quality. Parents of 4th grade youth in a school-based intervention (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02491294) completed three, ASA24 online 24-h dietary recalls. Differences in time of intake across days for breakfasts, lunches, dinners were categorized with consistency denoted as always, often/sometimes or rarely/never and assigned values of 3, 2 or 1, respectively. Meal-specific values were summed to form mealtime regularity scores (mReg) ranging from 3 (low) to 9. Healthy eating index (HEI) scores were compared to mReg controlling for weekday/weekend recall pattern. Linear regression predicted HEI scores from mReg. Parents (n = 142) were non-Hispanic white (92%), female (88%) and educated (73%). One mReg version, mReg1 was significantly associated with total HEI, total fruit, whole fruit, tended to correlate with total protein, seafood/plant protein subcomponents. mReg1 predicted total HEI (p = 0.001) and was inversely related to BMI (p = 0.04). A score of three (always) was awarded to breakfasts, lunches or dinners with day-to-day differences of 0–60 min; also, lunches/dinners with one interval of 60–120 min when two meals were ≤60 min apart. More rigid mReg versions were not associated with dietary quality.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shooka Mohammadi ◽  
Tin Tin Su ◽  
Angeliki Papadaki ◽  
Muhammad Yazid Jalaludin ◽  
Maznah Dahlui ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To conduct formative research using qualitative methods among stakeholders of secondary schools to explore their perceptions, barriers and facilitators related to healthy eating and physical activity (PA) among Malaysian adolescents. Design: A qualitative study involving eight focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. Focus groups and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Setting: Four secondary schools in Perak and Selangor states (two urban and two rural schools) in Malaysia. Participants: Focus groups were conducted with seventy-six adolescents aged 13–14 years, and in-depth interviews were conducted with four headmasters, four PA education teachers and four food canteen operators. Results: Stakeholders thought that adolescents’ misperceptions, limited availability of healthy options, unhealthy food preferences and affordability were important challenges preventing healthy eating at school. Low-quality physical education (PE) classes, limited adolescent participation and teachers’ commitment during lessons were perceived as barriers to adolescents being active at school. Affordability was the main challenge for adolescents from rural schools. Stakeholders perceived that a future school-based intervention should improve the availability and subsidies for healthy foods, provide health education/training for both adolescents and PE teachers, enhance active adolescent participation in PE and develop social support mechanisms to facilitate engagement with PA. Conclusions: These findings provide important insights into developing school-based lifestyle interventions to improve healthy eating and strengthening PA of Malaysian adolescents.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Harvey ◽  
Rosalind Hurworth

This paper examines two recent successful school-based health initiatives in Victoria, particularly in relation to factors that seem to foster program sustainability. These programs, dealing with drug education and healthy eating, are described before presenting two different methods (individual and group) used to determine elements that allow for the continuation of such projects. The findings on sustainability from each program are discussed using the broad areas of factors associated with the programs themselves; those associated with the context in which the programs were implemented; and finally, those factors external to the programs and their implementation contexts. These results indicate a strong congruence with factors identified in the literature but also highlight the influence of the use of change theory in strengthening sustainability approaches in program development as well as the need to focus on funding options in forward planning. The possible roles for evaluators in assisting program development and supporting the integration of factors supporting sustained use are also discussed.


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