Conducting evaluations of health promotion programs are imperative to determine the program’s impact and explore possible improvements in content and delivery. This study’s objective was to evaluate ...the effectiveness of CATCH program, delivered by dietetic interns and Northern Illinois University (NIU) students, to third through fifth graders in Northern Illinois, in increasing their nutrition knowledge and healthy choices behavior.
In total, 167 elementary school children in grades third through fifth in Northern Illinois participated in a non-experimental program evaluation study. We delivered six CATCH lessons throughout the academic year to five elementary schools. Lessons were focused on ‘Go, Slow, Whoa’ food categories to help children understand healthier food choices. Validated questionnaires from the CATCH Global Foundation were administered in classrooms and online pre- and post-intervention to assess nutritional knowledge and healthy choices behavior.
Children in third through fifth grades significantly increased their knowledge about nutrient-dense foods (P < .001 for each grade). Fourth and fifth graders exhibited a significant increase in their ability to make healthier food choices, P = .03 and P = .007 respectively. As grade level increased from third to fifth grade, improvement in nutrition knowledge and adoption of healthy food choices did not increase significantly; third to fourth grade, P = .973 and fourth to fifth grade, P = .637.
We conclude that children in grades third through fifth who participated in the six lessons of the CATCH program expanded their nutritional knowledge and improved their ability to make healthier choices. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of communiversity collaborations for nutrition education in schools. However, higher grades did not show a greater increase in knowledge or more improvement in making healthy choices than lower grades. Future research should examine the same cohort of children over three years of participation to determine the accumulation of knowledge and behavior improvement.
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Health Center in DeKalb, IL and Northern Illinois University provided funds to procure supplies and cover printing cost of evaluation surveys.
Food health Chrzan, Janet; Brett, John
2017., 2017, 2017-02-28, Letnik:
3
eBook
Nutritional Anthropology and public health research and programming have employed similar methodologies for decades many anthropologists are public health practitioners while many public health ...practitioners have been trained as medical or biological anthropologists. Recognizing such professional connections, this volume provides in-depth analysis and comprehensive review of methods necessary to design, plan, implement and analyze public health programming using anthropological best practices. To illustrates the rationale for use of particular methods, each chapter elaborates a case study from the author's own work, showing why particular methods were adopted in each case. This volume provides in-depth analysis and comprehensive review of methods necessary to design, plan, implement and analyze public health programming related to food and nutrition using anthropological best practices.
Nutritional Anthropology and public health research and programming have employed similar methodologies for decades; many anthropologists are public health practitioners while many public health ...practitioners have been trained as medical or biological anthropologists. Recognizing such professional connections, this volume provides in-depth analysis and comprehensive review of methods necessary to design, plan, implement and analyze public health programming using anthropological best practices. To illustrates the rationale for use of particular methods, each chapter elaborates a case study from the author's own work, showing why particular methods were adopted in each case.
The dramatic increase in all things food in popular and academic fields during the last two decades has generated a diverse and dynamic set of approaches for understanding the complex relationships ...and interactions that determine how people eat and how diet affects culture. These volumes offer a comprehensive reference for students and established scholars interested in food and nutrition research in Nutritional and Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, Socio-Cultural and Linguistic Anthropology, Food Studies and Applied Public Health.
PDF
