Outcomes from a school-based nutrition education program using resource teachers and cross-disciplinary models

The Integrated Nutrition Project is an ongoing comprehensive elementary school-based program focused on increasing consumption of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in children and establishing nutrition education in the schools through local partnerships. This paper reports on years three and four outcomes. It was hypothesized that blending Social Cognitive Theory with the educational philosophies of Piaget and Dewey would enhance behavior change. The primary intervention consisted of (1) 24 weekly hands-un activities taught by a resource teacher and (2) Sis parent-taught lunchroom "mini-lessons." Classroom activities were designed to reinforce concepts in math, science, literacy, and social studies. The quasi-experimental design used classrooms in matched schools: 20 and 17 classes were in treatment and comparison conditions, respectively, in year four. Surveys, interviews, and lunchroom plate waste were used to assess children; teachers were interviewed. Students in treatment classrooms achieved significantly greater gains in knowledge and self-efficacy regarding food preparation and fruit and vegetable consumption and consumed 0.4 more National Cancer Institute equivalent servings of fruits and vegetables in the lunchroom. Teachers responded favorably to the resource teacher model and the hands-on approach. The project's outcomes were attributed to the intervention's theory-based behavior change focus and the use of a resource teacher who ensured consistent delivery of the intervention. Program implications include the need to explore variations of the resource teacher model and the potential for implementation on a larger scale.