Thesis (M. Tech. (Food and Beverage Management, Dept. of Hospitality and Tourism)--Vaal University of Technology. / Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education programme for Setlabotjha Primary School children in order to improve current knowledge. The study included all grade seven learners from two primary schools in one of the poorest areas in the Vaal Triangle. Children form Setlabojha Primary School formed the experimental group, while children from Ekujuleni Primary School formed the control group. Methods: The initial steps involved a baseline survey (Napier 2001 :78), which indicated that malnutrition exists at Setlaboljha Primary School. The baseline survey indicated stunting, wasting, underweight and poor food consumption patterns among the children. A literature survey was conducted, as a result of the findings of malnutrition, poverty and household food insecurity in Eatonside. Pre-tests were undertaken to determine current nutritional knowledge (for both groups) using a nutritional knowledge questionnaire developed by the Medical Research Council. The pre-tests results revealed poor nutritional knowledge and these results were used to develop the nutrition education tool (nutrition education playing cards) based on the South African Food Based Dietary Guidelines. The intervention, which involved the issuing, reading. playing and exchanging of the nutrition education playing cards had taken place over eleven weeks for the experimental group. The control group had received pamphlets and nutrition education lessons. After the intervention had taken place, post-tests were undertaken to compare the difference between the two groups and to determine the effectiveness of the nutrition education programme. Results: In general, the subjects of both groups had a good knowledge regarding sugar, water and salt consumption, as well as 'the key to a healthy way of eating'. Thus the inclusion of fruit and vegetables and variety were in the diet. Poor knowledge was evident in both groups pertaining to pregnancy, the importance of starch in the diet, alcohol consnmption, physical activity, vitamin A-rich foods and the inclusion of pilchards as a calcium-rich source. / NRF and Central Research Committee, VUT.

Master of Public Health / Human Nutrition / Richard R. Rosenkranz / Purpose: Dietary habits are established in childhood and are often maintained into adulthood. Fruit and vegetable consumption contributes to prevention of several chronic diseases, but many children do not meet dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake. In this study, two versions of a theoretically informed, behaviorally oriented nutrition education program were evaluated. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental design, conducted at a summer camp in northwestern Russia. Data were collected on boys and girls (n=40), aged 8-12y (mean=10.4; SD= 1.0) with mean BMI percentile of 56.7 (SD=26.7), assigned to receive 15 sessions of enhanced nutrition education with skill-training (intervention) or classic nutrition education (comparison); both nutrition education programs were based on Social Cognitive Theory. For the intervention condition, an additional skill-training component included healthy snack preparation activities and games. Data were obtained through previously published questionnaire items and from a menu for snack selection. Independent and paired t-tests were performed to assess differences between groups and across time, respectively. Alpha was set at p < 0.05. Results: Both groups showed statistically significant differences from baseline to post-intervention in nutrition knowledge (p<0.001), healthy eating attitudes towards fruit and vegetable consumption (p=0.001), and healthy eating behavior (snack selection) (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences between time points were found, however, for children’s self-efficacy to eat fruits (p=0.822) or vegetables (p=0.118). There were no differences between intervention and comparison groups for change in nutrition knowledge (p>0.05), attitudes, self-efficacy, or behavior (snack selection). Conclusion: In this study nutrition education, with or without skill training, was associated with improved knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in a Russian camp setting. Therefore, future research should examine the long-term sustainability within different school-aged children’s environments.

A study on the influence of nutrition education experiences was conducted in the Child Development Preschool Laboratory at Southern Utah State College in Cedar City, Utah, with thirty-two preschool children. Sixteen of the children were exposed to nutrition experiences through food activities and stories. It was found that the sixteen children who were involved in the fifteen nutrition experiences significantly increased their knowledge of nutrition concepts and further modified their own personal food choices. The control group, which was not exposed to nutrition activities, made no significant change in knowledge of nutrition concepts and no modification of personal food choices. The findings also indicated that there was no significant difference between girls and boys in their ability to learn nutrition concepts. However, there appeared to be some slight sex differences in the modification of personal food choices.

<p> The purpose of this project was to create a tool to evaluate web-based educational sources that are geared towards Latino parents with preschool children to combat childhood obesity and to promote healthy lifestyles. The goals of this project were to increase awareness of the Latino childhood obesity problem and provide a tool to web developers to aid in the development of culturally appropriate nutrition education websites for preschool Latino children. </p><p> The primary evaluation tool is organized into eleven groups: site content, site functionality, site design, layout, readability, user learning experience, type style, use of color, photos and illustrations, non-English site development, and site evaluation. All criteria were included based on evidence-based research and a review of literature. A feasibility study was conducted to review the primary evaluation tool and a content evaluation form for users provided feedback. </p>

<p>The purpose of this project was to create a 6-week nutrition curriculum for improving the health of older adults, aged 60 years or older. The goal of this curriculum was to improve the health of older adults by emphasizing the consumption of a well-balanced diet and regular physical activity in order to reduce the instance of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension among older adults. Specifically, this project provides nutrition education regarding an overview of healthy lifestyle choices for older adults. </p><p> The nutrition curriculum, titled "How to Be a Fit and Healthy Older Adult," was created for implementation in senior centers following attendance of a congregate meal. The curriculum was designed to be implemented by a Registered Dietitian (RD) with vast knowledge and experience with the aging population. The curriculum consists of two parts: a nutrition education portion, using PowerPoint, and an interactive activity to engage the participants. </p>

<p> Childhood obesity is a major public health concern. The multiple effects of obesity in childhood are long-reaching. Since weight loss and maintenance are very difficult, prevention of obesity is important. Schools have been identified as an important environment for obesity prevention interventions since most children spend a large portion of the day at school. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to determine if the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Alabama intervention improved weight status, fitness levels, and health knowledge and behaviors. A 2-by-2 repeated measures ANOVA was performed to determine whether differences exist between intervention and comparison students at pretest and posttest. Measures that were explored included BMI Z-scores, Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) scores, nutrition knowledge and behavior scores, and physical activity knowledge and behavior scores. Significant advances were observed among intervention students in contrast to comparison students from pretest to posttest for physical fitness (as measured by the PACER), and nutrition and physical activity knowledge. No significant improvements were found for weight status, nutrition behavior, or physical activity behavior. A high prevalence of obesity was observed at pretest. It may be difficult for a primary obesity prevention program to be successful among fifth grade students with such high prevalence rates. A greater effect may be found when intervening with younger children. While schools alone cannot turn the tide on childhood obesity, it is unlikely that improvements can be made without the involvement of schools and programs such as HEAL.</p>

This dissertation presents four studies designed to investigate and provide evidence based insight into the preparation of health educators in the science and practice of nutrition. A mixed methods approach was utilized for this research. First, a review of the current literature will be presented discussing (a) what other authors have written regarding nutrition education for allied health professionals, and (b) the availability of research advocating for nutrition education for health educators. Also included is the review of twenty-three (23) articles addressing how researchers conceptualize nutrition, and their rationale for nutrition's inclusion into the respective allied health discipline's curriculum. Secondly, an analysis of the health education curriculum of a professional health program is presented. With the use of an availability scale, the university's most recent catalogue as well as the curriculum of the health degree was analyzed. The health program was also assessed for the presence of nutrition credentialed faculty and the presence of nutrition requirements and electives. Thirdly, the development and administration of an instrument to test the nutrition, nutrition education and health education knowledge of a sample of health and nutrition students will be discussed. The self-administered instrument was developed by the author. The final sample (n=123) comprised a purposeful set of students all currently enrolled at Texas A & M University, College Station, TX. The student's final scores on the instrument were assessed based on major, classification and by whether they had pursued a nutrition course during their undergraduate tenure. Lastly, a qualitative examination of health educators with the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential will be presented. Employing a naturalistic approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The final sample comprised four (4) persons. Health educators provided narratives related to their prior experiences in nutrition and their perceived competency in delivering nutrition education. Prior to this study, scientific literature has been deafeningly silent on nutrition and the health educator, the ability of health educators to deliver nutrition education, as well as the advocacy of nutrition for the profession. Thus, this study represents the first step towards addressing the limitations associated with the role of nutrition educator and filling the theoretical gaps.

Master of Public Health / Public Health Interdepartmental Program / Mark D. Haub / Millions of U.S. grandparents are responsible for providing parental care, in the absence of the biological parent, for at least one grandchild under the age of 18 years. These caregivers may base their wellness and nutrition practices with their grandchildren on outdated advice. In 2010, Kansas State University Human Nutrition Cooperative Extension Service faculty launched a theory-based newsletter, entitled Nourishing the Next Generation, that was mailed six times per year to low-income grandparent caregivers, and posted on a public website (at http://www.k-state.edu/humannutrition/newsletters/nourishing-the-next-generation/index.html). Each issue disseminated small amounts of practical, specific, “how-to” nutrition- and wellness-related information that addressed topics identified as being of concern to this population and that used recommended word choice, format, and design principles. After five years of Nourishing the Next Generation being in circulation, we surveyed readers who had received it from one to five years in order to assess the impact it had and to highlight its strengths. This study combined qualitative and quantitative approaches by using written surveys with both open- and closed-ended questions. Two different types of participants who had received the newsletter, grandparent caregivers and community educators, received surveys. A total of 54 valid surveys were returned from the 492 that were sent to grandparent caregivers, while 30 out of 175 community educators completed surveys. The newsletter was perceived by responding grandparent caregivers to be very effective in improving their awareness, knowledge, motivation, and confidence to follow recommendations about healthy eating and physical activity. Also, reading it led to many self-reported positive changes in various nutrition, physical activity, and other wellness practices among 91 percent of the responding grandparent caregivers and their families. In addition, 70 percent of responding community educators used its contents extensively to disseminate information to wider audiences. In conclusion, including grandparent caregivers in wellness-related educational programs could be a good approach to target healthy lifestyle practices of both older and younger generations. An appropriately designed newsletter can effectively improve the health of a large number of people, yet has limited costs, and thus, is an excellent public health method.

Background: The HHFKA authorizes funding and establishes policy for USDA’s child nutrition programs including the NSLP and the SBP to align with the DGA. It is inconclusive whether these dietary requirements increase healthy food selection let alone increase consumption because data is difficult to track, and plate waste studies are time consuming and labor intensive. Several studies have shown an association between advertising methods and increased fruit selection. However, research examining the degrees of impact these advertising methods have on student selection and consumption is lacking. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether different methods of advertising in school cafeterias have different effects on influencing children’s food choices. The researchers predicted branding would have the greatest effect on fresh fruit selection and consumption. Fresh fruit selection and consumption were observed in a sixth-grade student population during school lunch with majority of students participating in the free and reduced lunch program. Methods: An average of 412 student selection observations and 200 student consumption observations were collected over six days testing three advertising methods with a control group for each treatment. The three treatment groups consisted of branding, digital advertising, and variety. Results: This study found that digital advertising and variety had a significant effect on students’ fruit selection during school lunch by 8.5% and 17.6%, respectively. Digital advertising and branding had a significant decrease on student consumption, but variety increased consumption by 0.9%. Conclusion: In conclusion, advertising methods can increase the selection of fresh fruit, but additional strategies such as nutrition education, garden-based learning, and taste tests should be implemented to increase fresh fruit consumption.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is one of the largest efforts of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote healthy dietary behavior practices among the low income adults and youths in the US. Although the program is shown to be effective in achieving its stated goals, the cost effectiveness of the money spent on EFNEP remains largely unknown. This dissertation analyzes the costs and effectiveness of the EFNEP, and is organized in three essays. The first essay investigates the effectiveness of the adult EFNEP and evaluates the returns to scale on the money spent in this program by utilizing an indirect production function approach. Results indicate that the program has increasing returns to scale at the National level, although a significant variation exists across the states. The second essay develops a framework for conducting the cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) for the youth EFNEP. The CEA framework is then applied to the data from Virginia youth EFNEP to estimate the cost effectiveness ratio (CER). The CER is estimated to be about $75 per behavior improvement. The third essay examines the outcomes and the attributes of the youth EFNEP program using the Rasch model type measurement model.  Findings suggest that the youth EFNEP is effective in achieving its stated program goals. In addition, the program related characteristics are found to be important attributes of effective programs. Overall, this dissertation has important policy implications for improving the (cost) effectiveness of nutrition education programs. " / Ph. D.