Why and How Schools Make Nutrition Education Programs “Work” |
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| Authors: | Kathleen J. Porter PhD RD Pamela A. Koch EdD RD Isobel R. Contento PhD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, 16 East Main Street, Suite 103, Christiansburg, VA 24073;2. Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Teachers College Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 137, New York, NY 10025;3. Teachers College Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 137, New York, NY 10025;4. Department of Nutrition and Education, Teachers College Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 137, New York, NY 10025 |
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| Abstract: | BACKGROUND There are many potential health benefits to having nutrition education programs offered by expert outside sources in schools. However, little is known about why and how schools initiate, implement, and institutionalize them. Gaining this understanding may allow the impact and reach of nutrition and other health education programs in schools to be extended. METHODS A total of 22 school community members from 21 purposefully selected New York City public elementary schools were interviewed using a semistructured interview protocol about their schools' experiences initiating, implementing, and institutionalizing nutrition education programs. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Chronological narratives were written detailing each school's experience and passages highlighting key aspects of each school's experience were identified. These passages (N = 266) were sorted into domains and themes which were regrouped, resorted, and adjusted until all researchers agreed the domains and themes represented the collective experiences of the schools. RESULTS The interviews elicited 4 broad domains of action: building motivation, choosing programs, developing capacity, and legitimizing nutrition education. Within each domain, themes reflecting specific actions and thoughts emerged. CONCLUSIONS The identified domains of action and their themes highlight specific, practical actions that school health advocates can use to initiate, implement, and institutionalize nutrition education programs in schools. |
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| Keywords: | nutrition education school‐based elementary school implementation research qualitative methods |
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