C.K. Manning

Impact of the Use of Produce Grown in an Elementary School Garden on Consumption of Vegetables at School Lunch

Low consumption of fruits and vegetables has been implicated as a factor in the increasing childhood obesity seen over the past 2 decades. The use of school gardens is a relatively new nutrition education strategy that may provide some additional benefit in getting children to consume the recommended amount of vegetables. Previous research into the effectiveness of school gardens has shown that they have positive impacts on childrens vegetable preferences, and they can have a positive impact on childrens consumption of vegetables at school lunch. However, no research has examined using school garden produce at school lunch to determine whether that tactic would have an additional impact on childrens consumption of vegetables at school lunch, so that is the purpose of this study. A quasi-experimental design was used along with cafeteria observations. The results showed that offering garden produce at school lunch had a small positive impact on childrens food choices.

Food Closets in State Social Service Centers: One-Stop Shopping

This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a food closet program in state social service centers. This collaborative venture between a nonprofit food bank and a government social service agency shows how the challenges of paperwork and transportation that often delay emergency food assistance can be overcome. The food closet program enables families to obtain a small supply of food at a place where they are already going to receive other services—in essence, one-stop shopping. Outcomes indicated that the Food Closet Program is providing families who otherwise would lack an emergency food supply with food in a timely manner, demonstrating that nonprofits and state governments can be effective partners in hunger relief efforts.

Evaluation of Supermarket Tour Vs. Traditional Classroom Setting for Delivering Nutrition Education to Family Day Care Providers

Abstract A pre- and post-test was used to asses knowledge, attitudes and behavior of 40 family day care providers enrolled in a nutrition education program delivered either as a supermarket tour (N=20) or in a classroom setting (N=20). 9 knowledge questions covered label reading, unit cost, lean meat selection, saving money and protein/calcium content of cheese. 7 attitude questions examined taste and cost of healthy food, shopping skills, nutrition labels, foods supporting the US Dietary Guidelines, and stage of change regarding purchase of fruits and vegetables. 9 behavior questions looked at intentions to use program information and to purchase various foods. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the t-test. No statistically significant differences were identified in the mean score responses between supermarket tour and classroom groups. However, statistical differences were realized when the data from both groups were combined: specifically for knowledge questions about label reading for wheat bread, and protein and calcium content of cheeses (p

A Model for Establishing an International Cultural Training Experience

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe a model for establishing an international cultural training experience for dietetics and other healthcare students. Dietetics professionals are delivering food and nutrition services to clientele who are increasingly culturally diverse. Knowledge of other cultures is critical if these services are to be relevant and useful and if the tendency toward ethnocentrism is to be avoided. Among strategies available to teach dietetics students cultural concepts and food behaviors are popular travel study courses. Establishing a course outside the traditional campus classroom is highly complex, especially when done in an international setting. Using a recently completed travel study course to Belize, Central America, a model was developed which identifies steps, timelines, and resources. Initial steps include enlisting organizational support, identifying educational objectives and criteria for selecting a country for the travel study site. A minimum of two years is needed from initial planning to implementation. Resources involve two categories: 1.) course development (e.g. travel, postage, FAX, phone) and 2.) course content (e.g. books, serials, audio-visuals, people, places). The Internet and World Wide Web support both course development and content in an easily accessible, time-saving, and cost-effective manner. Educators of dietetics and other healthcare students who are interested in developing a travel study course for cultural diversity training will find this model useful.

Evaluation of Keep Food Safe Food-Handler Training of School Food Service Personnel

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the impact of safe food handling instruction on attitudes and knowledge of school food service personnel A questionnaire was used to determine the impact of safe food handling instruction on attitudes and knowledge of school food service participants attending 5 Delaware Cooperative Extension Keep Food Safe Workshops during 1993-94. Before and after instruction (video, discussion, hands-on activities), 111 school food service personnel completed a questionnaire. Learner objectives and questionnaire evaluating attitudes and knowledge covered the most frequently contributing factors to outbreaks of foodborne illness: cross contamination, cooling/reheating, personal hygiene, temperature control and general food safety knowledge. Demographic and pre/post questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and multiple linear regression. Demographics of participants were: 96% female; mean age 43 years; 27% completed high school or some college; experience included an average of 7 years at their current facility; 9 years at other facilities - most frequently commercial restaurants (37%) and churches (23%). On the job training by supervisors (60%), coworkers (59%) and classes (36%) were most frequenty identified as the kinds of safe food handling training they had received. On the job classes predicted a significantly higher pre-questionnaire score in cross-contamination while college course was significant for temperature control; experience in commercial restaurants was significant for cooling/reheating. Paired t-tests of pre/post-questionnaires revealed significant differences for 43% of the attitude questions (P