Marisa Neelon

Improving the Quality of Data From EFNEP Participants With Low Literacy Skills: A Participant-driven Model

Low literacy skills and poor evaluation tool readability combined with the stresses of the classroom environment create a high cognitive load for Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) participants, resulting in lower quality data. The authors advocate for 9 strategies for improving the participant cognitive load for the evaluation process using the EFNEP Family Record as an example.

Development and Use of an Evaluation Tool for Taste-Testing Activities by School-Aged Children

We describe the development and application of a teacher-administered tool for routine program evaluation of food-tasting activities among low-income children and adolescents in a classroom or afterschool setting. This six-item evaluation tool is intended to capture student willingness to try new foods and ask for them at home. Phase 1 involved one-on-one interviews to determine the feasibility of the taste test tool among nine elementary school teachers in 2009 (168 students) and a validation pilot study in 2010 among 114 school-aged students participating in a University of California Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education (UC SNAP-Ed) summer program. Phase 2 determined instrument reliability and compared student response by grade level and food category in a convenience sample of 514 UC SNAP-Ed classrooms in 2010-2011. The mean proportion of the classroom ever having tried the foods before was 0.62 ± 0.33, and 0.77 ± 0.27 were willing to ask for the foods at home (P<0.0001). Compared with younger students (preschool through sixth grade), older students (seventh through 12th grade) were less likely to try the foods in class and less willing to try them again or ask for them at home (P<0.05). Students reported significantly greater previous exposure and willingness to try the food again for fruits than for vegetables (P<0.0001). A teacher-administered taste test tool is feasible to use in a group setting and capable of yielding valid, reliable information to evaluate student response and to guide SNAP-Ed program delivery.

Healthalicious Cooking: Learning about Food and Physical Activity: Lesson 6. Make It Fun: Eat and Share!

Author(s): Smith, Dorothy; Horowitz, Marcel; Neelon, Marisa; Spezzano, Theresa; Lippitt, Nancie; McMurdo, Tammy J.; Kaiser, Lucia | Abstract: Lesson 6. Make It Fun: Eat and Share! This after-school curriculum is a great setting to promote a healthy lifestyle with good foods and physical activity, helping kids build health skills that will last a lifetime.

Healthalicious Cooking: Learning about Food and Physical Activity: Lesson 4. Make It Colorful: Choose Fruits and Veggies by Color!

Author(s): Smith, Dorothy; Horowitz, Marcel; Neelon, Marisa; Spezzano, Theresa; Lippitt, Nancie; McMurdo, Tammy J.; Kaiser, Lucia | Abstract: Lesson 4. Make It Colorful: Choose Fruits and Veggies by Color! This after-school curriculum is a great setting to promote a healthy lifestyle with good foods and physical activity, helping kids build health skills that will last a lifetime.

Healthalicious Cooking: Learning about Food and Physical Activity: Lesson 1. Let's Make It Clean: Wash Up!

Author(s): Smith, Dorothy; Horowitz, Marcel; Neelon, Marisa; Spezzano, Theresa; Lippitt, Nancie; McMurdo, Tammy J.; Kaiser, Lucia | Abstract: Lesson 1. Lets Make It Clean: Wash Up! This after-school curriculum is a great setting to promote a healthy lifestyle with good foods and physical activity, helping kids build health skills that will last a lifetime.