EFFECT OF A TECHNOLOGY-INTEGRATED, NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM ON LOW-INCOME YOUTHS’ DIETARY INTAKE

Abstract

Childhood obesity is an important public health problem as it relates to several chronic diseases and continues to be high, particularly among low-socioeconomic (SES) and racial and ethnic minority populations. In 2011-2014, 25.0% of Hispanic 6-11-year-old school-aged children were considered to be obese or extremely obese, followed by 21.4% of non-Hispanic black children and 13.6% of non-Hispanic white children. When compared to higher-SES children of the same ethnicity and race, low-SES Hispanic, white, and black children were 2.7, 1.9 and 3.2 times more likely to be obese, respectively. Contributing to the obesity epidemic among children is the excess consumption of energy-dense snacks (EDS) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and not meeting the dietary recommendations for fruits and vegetables (FV). Given their wide reach, schools are an optimal location to educate on the importance of healthy foods and/or reduction of unhealthy foods that may influence dietary habits. The majority of school-based nutrition interventions have focused primarily on increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption. However, this is problematic because while EDS and SSB provide very little in terms of nutrients, they more than likely replace healthy foods and also provide a lot of calories which can lead to weight gain. Furthermore, students respond favorably to technology, a tool that has been shown to increase nutrition outcomes, yet has been sparsely used in EDS and SSB-targeted nutrition education with low-SES school-aged students. Therefore, the first chapter focuses on the primary aim of this study which was to test the effect of a 13-week school-based nutrition education program on EDS (sweet and salty) and SSB intake with low-SES 3rd grade students utilizing the technology-integrated Body Quest: Food of the Warrior curriculum enhanced with additional nutrition education materials. The treatment 3rd graders significantly decreased their EDS and SSB consumption from baseline (week 1) to post-assessment (week 13). When compared to the control group over time, the treatment 3rd graders significantly decreased their EDS consumption. These results indicate that the school-based nutrition education program is effective in decreasing EDS consumption in low-SES 3rd graders. While school-based nutrition education programs help improve what foods students consume, there is room for improvement. One way to improve these programs is by incorporating student feedback into nutrition education programs. Moreover, students’ perspectives may help provide a more complete picture on how a school-based nutrition education program can impact what they eat. They may also provide insight into the students’ perceptions of