Michael Prelip, Chan Le Thai, Jennifer Toller Erausquin and Wendy Slusser
The purpose of this research is to test a comprehensive nutrition program developed specifically to target low‐income parents of young school‐aged children and determine whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to test a comprehensive nutrition program developed specifically to target low‐income parents of young school‐aged children and determine whether the programme‐resulted in changes in parents' knowledge, attitude, self‐confidence, and behaviours related to both their and their child's nutrition in relation to fruit and vegetable intake.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quasi‐experimental pre‐test/post‐test design in which parent centers were selected to participate as either intervention or control sites. The primary method of data collection was self‐administered questionnaires.
Findings
The results show significant positive changes in parent knowledge, food behaviors, and home environment. No changes were observed in parents' attitudes; however, parent attitudes were high at baseline.
Practical implications
This work reinforces the importance of developing well designed interventions that specifically target the intended audience and intended outcomes.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies that have examined the potential and value of nutrition‐focused intervention targeting low‐income and predominantly Hispanic populations with the potential goal of impacting children.
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Mojisola D. Kupolati, Una E. MacIntyre and Gerda J. Gericke
The aim of this review is to critically assess published articles on school-based nutrition education (NE) intervention to identify factors hindering or contributing to the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this review is to critically assess published articles on school-based nutrition education (NE) intervention to identify factors hindering or contributing to the success of interventions. School-based NE possesses the capacity to influence learners’ nutrition behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach
An electronic search of articles was conducted in Medline, PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases, Google and snowballing. Included in the review were school-based studies with classroom NE with or without nutrition services and studies published between 2000 and 2013. School-based non-intervention studies and interventions that did not include a nutrition teaching component were excluded in the review.
Findings
Thirty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Features of successful NE interventions included the use of behavioural theories, especially the social cognitive theory and the involvement of trained teachers in the implementation of interventions. Capacity development for teachers, time constraints, school policies and implementation problems of multicomponent interventions were some of the identified challenges encountered in the studies reviewed.
Originality/value
Trained teachers are invaluable assets in interventions to improve nutrition behaviours of learners. Challenges associated with teacher-oriented school-based NE intervention can be overcome by properly designed and implemented interventions based on behavioural theory.
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Michael J. Ormshaw, Leena T. Paakkari and Lasse K. Kannas
A systematic review of literature was conducted to compile, analyse and describe the methodology and measurement of childhood/adolescent health literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
A systematic review of literature was conducted to compile, analyse and describe the methodology and measurement of childhood/adolescent health literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
Six online databases (ERIC, PubMed, CINAHL, Biomed Central, Web of Science and Sports Discuss) were systematically searched to identify English language, peer‐reviewed articles, published between 1980 and April 2011, which reported on the measurement of health literacy in a population under the age of 18. The search identified 16 articles to be included in the final review, from which, data were systematically extracted in order to answer four review questions concerning several aspects of the method and effectiveness of the completed studies.
Findings
The majority (n=13) of the studies described the use of newly developed measurement tools and enquiry methods. The majority (n=14) assessed health literacy via task performance as opposed to examining self‐reported health literacy. Thirteen health topics and nine distinct components of health literacy were identified as being scrutinised by the 16 articles. Examination of the intended measurement aims of each study, in comparison with the actual measurement methods revealed that six studies fully succeeded in examining what they intended to measure. It is concluded that even though research in this field is escalating, clear definitions and measurement methods of childhood health literacy must be developed in order to effectively expand the field further and comprehensively assess childhood health literacy.
Originality/value
This review is to our knowledge the first to collate and examine studies concentrating solely on the measurement of health literacy in a child and/or adolescent population.
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Sadaf Mollaei, Leia M. Minaker, Derek T. Robinson, Jennifer K. Lynes and Goretty M. Dias
The purpose of this research is to (1) identify factors affecting food choices of young adults in Canada based on environmental perceptions, personal and behavioral factors as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to (1) identify factors affecting food choices of young adults in Canada based on environmental perceptions, personal and behavioral factors as determinants of eating behaviors; (2) segment Canadian young adults based on the importance of the identified factors in their food choices.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was administered to Canadians aged between 18 and 24 to collect data on socio-demographic factors and eating behaviors (N = 297). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the main factors affecting eating behaviors in young adults, followed by K-means clustering to categorize the respondents into consumer segments based on their propensity to agree with the factors.
Findings
Six factors were extracted: beliefs (ethical, environmental and personal); familiarity and convenience; joy and experience; food influencers and sociability; cultural identity; and body image. Using these factors, six consumer segments were identified, whereby members of each segment have more similar scores on each factor than members of other segments. The six consumer segments were: “conventional”; “concerned”; “indifferent”; “non-trend follower”; “tradition-follower”; and “eat what you love”.
Originality/value
Identifying major factors influencing eating behaviors and consumer segmentation provides insights on how eating behaviors might be shaped. Furthermore, the outcomes of this study are important for designing effective interventions for shaping eating behaviors particularly improving sustainable eating habits.