Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Adolescents in rural communities are subject to higher rates of chronic diseases. Food literacy, the knowledge and skillset to make informed health behaviors, has been identified as a critical influence in disease prevention. This mixed-method experimental study evaluated the Food Literacy Boot Camp’s effectiveness, feasibility, and likeability in promoting healthy lifestyle choices, including diet, physical activity, food preparation, and food safety skills among adolescents. Outcomes were assessed using the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education (EFNEP) 6th - 12th Grade EFNEP Youth Questionnaire, distributed before and after the intervention. Qualitative methods assessed likeability. Following the program, participants had statistically significant improvements in sugar-sweetened beverage intake (P = 0.004), healthy eating choices when dining out (P = 0.002), physical activity (P = 0.010), hand washing (P = 0.028), inclination to wash fruits and vegetables (P = 0.008) and using separate cutting boards for raw meats and fresh produce (P = 0.046). Four major qualitative themes emerged: (1) Comprehensive Health and Wellness Education, (2) Practical Skill Development, (3) Knowledge and Behavior Change, and (4) Successful Student Engagement and Positive Endorsement. Overall, the Food Literacy Boot Camp successfully improved participants’ food literacy skills.

Keywords

nutrition education eating behavior cooking high school students food literacy EFNEP rural communitites

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Childhood obesity facts. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html. Accessed December 28, 2023.

Brown

Halvorson

Cohen

Lazorick

Skelton

. Addressing childhood obesity: opportunities for prevention. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2015;62(5):1241-1261.

Healthy People 2030 . Overweight and obesity objectives. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/overweight-and-obesity#:∼:text=Goal%3A_Reduce_overweight_and_obesity,and_many_others_are_overweight

State of childhood obesity. Available at: https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/demographic-data/ages-10-17/

Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health . Weight status (BMI) by subgroup (household income level). https://www.childhealthdata.org/browse/survey/results?q=10043&r=21&g=1082

Simmonds

Llewellyn

Owen

Woolacott

. Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2016;2016(17):95-107.

Tyson

Frank

. Childhood and adolescent obesity definitions as related to BMI, evaluation and management options. Best Practice & Research Clin Obstetrics and Gyn. 2018;2018(48):158-164.

The Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology . Childhood obesity: a growing pandemic. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2022;10(1):1.

Larson

Neumark-Sztainer

Hannan

Story

. Trends in adolescent fruit and vegetable consumption, 1999-2004: project EAT. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32(2):147-150.

10.

Harley

Lemke

Brazauskas

Carnegie

Bokowy

Kingery

. Youth chef Academy: pilot result from a plant-based culinary and nutrition literacy program for sixth and seventh graders. J Sch Health. 2018;88(12):893-902.

11.

Ruiz

Radtke

Scherr

. Development and pilot testing of a food literacy curriculum for high-school aged adolescents. Nutrients. 2021;2021(13):1532-1545.

12.

Healthy People 2030 . Nutrition and healthy eating objectives. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/increase-vegetable-consumption-people-aged-2-years-and-older-nws-07/data

13.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity . Making Healthy Living Easier. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/docs/Obesity-Fact-Sheet-508.pdf

14.

Hamner

Dooyema

Blanck

, et al. Fruit, vegetable, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake among young children, by state — United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72:165-170.

15.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Healthy schools. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/healthybehaviors.htm

16.

Pereira

Oliveira

. Dietary interventions to prevent childhood obesity: a literature review. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3447.

17.

Food and Nutrition Board; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine . Nutrition Education in the K-12 Curriculum: The Role of National Standards: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013.

18.

Vidgen

Gallegos

. Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite. 2014;76:50-59.

19.

Ronto

Ball

Pendergast

Harris

. Adolescents’ perspectives on food literacy and its impact on their dietary behaviors. Appetite. 2016;107:549-557.

20.

Nanayakkara

Margerison

Worsley

. Senior secondary school food literacy education: importance, challenges, and ways of improving. Nutrients. 2018;2018(10):1316.

21.

Elsborg

Thorsen

Ravn-Haren

, et al. Improved food literacy among schoolchildren as an effect of a food camp intervention: results of a controlled effectiveness trial. Appetite. 2022;169:105845.

22.

Fordyce-Voorham

. Identification of essential food skills for skill-based healthful eating programs in secondary schools. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2011;43(2):116-122.

23.

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture . Family & consumer science education. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/family-consumer-sciences-education

24.

Werhan

. Family and consumer sciences secondary school programs: national survey data. J Fam Consum Sci. 2013;105(4):41-45.

25.

Upward Bound at the university of Maine. https://umaine.edu/ub/

26.

U.S. Department of Education . Upward Bound math-science. 2023. https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-higher-education/trio/upward-bound-math-science

27.

Adedokun

Plonski

Jenkins-Howard

Cotterill

Vail

. Healthy choices for every body adult curriculum improves participants' food resource management skills and food safety practices. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2018;50(6):638-644.

28.

Cohen

. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press; 2013.

29.

Braun

Clarke

. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77-101.

30.

Adedokun

Bastin

Plonski

Najor

Cotterill

. Outcome evaluation of the super star chef summer youth nutrition education program. J Ext. 2020;58(2):13.

31.

Caraher

Seeley

Lloyd

. When chefs Adopt a school? An evaluation of cooking intervention in English primary schools. Appetite. 2013;62(1):50-59. https://www-sciencedirect-com.wv-o-ursus-proxy02.ursus.maine.edu/science/article/pii/S0195666312004503

32.

Kuroko

Black

Chryssidis

, et al. Create our own Kai: a randomized control trial of a cooking intervention with group interview insights into adolescent cooking behaviors. Nutrients. 2020;12:796. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146447/pdf/nutrients-12-00796.pdf

33.

Dean

O'Kane

Issartel

, et al. Cook like A Boss: an effective Co-created multidisciplinary approach to improving children's cooking competence. Appetite. 2022;168:105727.

34.

Cardarelli

DeWitt

Gillespie

Norman-Burgdolf

Jones

Mullins

. “We’re, like, the most unhealthy people in the country”: using an equity lens to reduce barriers to healthy food access in rural appalachia. Prev Chronic Dis. 2020;17:E165.

Cooking up Knowledge: Empowering High School Students Through a Food Literacy Boot Camp

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References