ICook: Developing a 4‐H Curriculum for Youth and Adults

Abstract

The objective was to develop a curriculum to increase culinary competence, family mealtime and physical activity of youth and adults using community‐based participatory research, integrating research and Extension through 4‐H programming. A 5‐state team adapted two existing 4‐H curricula, Fast Foods and Youth in Motion, used additional resources to address food safety, family mealtime, and MyPlate, and grounded the curriculum in the Social Cognitive Theory and experiential 4‐H learning model. The result was, iCook 4‐H, consisting of six, 2‐hour lessons and was packaged into leader and participant binders, including guides, handouts, activities and recipes for each lesson. MyPlate placemats were developed for youth with activities on the back to reinforce lesson objectives. Curriculum training webinars were held with lesson leaders and state PIs, allowing for open forum discussions prior to lessons; phone conferences occurred between lessons for process evaluation. Content and activities provided were accurate and informative but may need to be modified to increase time spent in cooking and physical activity. Findings from the pilot study will be used to further refine and revise the curriculum for the intervention phase. Funding: USDA/NIFA/AFRI, Integrated Proposal for Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area #2012–68001‐19605.