Factors Leading to Implementing Healthy Eating Habits in a School Environment

1
Factors Leading to Implementing Healthy Eating
Habits in a School Environment
Stephanie Yoo Kyung Cheong Social Science
193 Spring 2008 Dr. Jeanett Castellanos
2
Background Information

• America is experiencing malnutrition, low vitamin
  intake and high disease- including obesity.
• Children are experiencing poor healthy habits
  such as low exercise and poor nutrition that will
  be present in adulthood.
• Obesity is a leading health issue among children
  in the U.S. today.

Source Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2007
3
Source www.obesityinamerica.org
4
Source Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2005
5
Problem Statement

• Home
• Children are eating poorly and not seeing the
  value of nutrition
• Families are not offering a healthy lifestyle
  habit to children

• School
• Schools have vending machines that promote poor
  eating habits
• School food service programs need improvement to
  offer more balanced meals

6
Purpose of Study

• To evaluate student nutrition habits in the
  lunchroom
• To examine the implementation of healthy eating
  habit in different communities
• To examine the benefits of a currently
  implemented program

7
Theoretical FrameworkSocial Cognitive Theory,
1988
Source Pajares (2002). Overview of social
cognitive theory and of self-efficacy.
8
Literature ReviewEnvironmental Influences

• Student Behavior
• Repeated exposure to fruits and vegetables at
  school ?increase in consumption and liking (Rhee,
  2008)

• Program Implementation
• Schools have been identified as excellent
  environments for prevention efforts to occur
  (Bloom-hoffman, 2008)

9
Literature ReviewPersonal Factors

• Student Behavior
• ?Fruits,
• ?Vegetables (Blom-hoffman, 2008)

• Program Implementation
• Increase preference and liking through
  familiarity of fruits and vegetables (Wardle,
  Herrera, Cooke Gibson, 2003)

10
Literature ReviewBehavioral Factors

• Program Implementation
• Social modeling by teachers and peers,
  encouragement from school food service staff
  (Bloom-hoffman, 2008)

• Student Behavior
• Change in attitudes and perceptions related to
  healthy foods (Borra, Kelly, Sheirreffs,
  Nerville, and Geiger, 2003)

11
Gaps in Literature

• Limited studies on the impact of utilizing fruits
  and vegetables in a school environment
• Limited statistics on the evaluation of
  nutrition-based programs at schools
• Lack of articles on childrens behaviors at
  lunchrooms

12
Initial Model
13
Methodology

• Research Design
• Qualitative, ethnographic study
• Data Collections
• Field observations and field notes
• Semi structured and unstructured interviews
• Survey Questionnaire
• Mappings
• Matrices

14
Sites

• President Elementary School of Riverside Unified
  School District
• Bay Elementary School of Santa Ana Unified School
  District
• The Grain Project in Santa Ana

15
Mapping
16
Matrix
17
Participants

• Program Implementation
• 10 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members from
  President Elementary School
• Latina
• 8/10 eligible for free/reduced meals
• 2 Nutrition service directors, 2 nutrition
  specialists, board director of The Grain Project

• Student Behavior
• President Elementary School students
  (Kindergarten to 6th grade) at a lunchroom
• About 820 students
• 54 eligible for free/reduced meals

18
Data Analysis

• Extensive review of field notes
• Revisiting the research questions
• Sorting and coding through highlighting,
  circling, and underlining
• Identifying themes, sub-themes and variables
• Triangulation
• Peer validation to reinforce validity
• Quotes and themes

19
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation

• Farmers Market Salad Bar Program
• The Farmers Market Salad Bar Program seeks to
  increase consumption of fresh fruits and
  vegetables among students by purchasing directly
  from local farmers and preparing fresh food on a
  daily basis - Activist 1, Interview

20
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation
21
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation

• 8 It is essential that the fruits and
  vegetables provided by the lunch program be fresh
  and harvested the same week.
• 10 It is important to see a featured item in
  the menu weekly.
• 11 It is important that the school offers an
  all-you-can-eat salad bar as part of the lunch
  program.

22
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation

• Harvest of the Month Program
• Harvest of the Month provides the opportunity
  for collaboration among educators, child
  nutrition staff, school administrators, students
  and parents access to and preference for fruits
  and vegetables - Activist 2, Presentation

23
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation
24
ResultsEnvironmental Influences- Program
Implementation

• Why is Farmers Market Salad Bar Program Better?
• Use of locally grown fruits and vegetables
  harvested in the same week
• Actual consumption of fruits and vegetables
• The message through food presentation and taste
  testings not affectively delivered to parents and
  children

25
ResultsSocial Factors- Benefits

• Thank you for worrying about the food of the
  children -Parent of President Elementary School,
  Latina
• My daughter complained why they dont eat salad
  at school- Parent of Bay Elementary School,
  Caucasian

26
ResultsPersonal Factor- Childrens Behvaiors

• About 1/3 of students choose to eat salad bar
  lunch

27
ResultsPersonal Factors- Childrens Behaviors

• I eat broiled eggs at home too. Sometimes my
  mommy makes three for me. Theyre my favorite. -
  2nd grade, Latina
• Vegetables are good for you.- 2nd grade, Latina
• Carrots are my favorite cause theyre juicy.
  - 1st grade, African American

28
Final Model
29
Discussion

• Frequent exposure to fruits and vegetables and
  making them more easily accessible can result in
  increased consumption, liking, and preference for
  that food (Rhee, 2008)
• Positive increases in fruits and vegetable
  consumption through social modeling by peers,
  teachers, encouragement from school food service
  staff (Blom-Hoffman, 2008)

30
Limitations of Design

• Limited access to children and school
• Not able to measure childrens behaviors and
  outcomes before and after a nutrition progmra has
  been implemented
• Language barrier

31
Implications

• Practice
• Hands-on activities provided at schools
• Incorporate fruits and vegetables learned in
  school to lunch menu

• Research
• Socioeconomic and demographic factors of families
• Roles of parents on children
• Better tracking of students to measure the
  possible changes on student behaviors

32
Acknowledgements

• Dr. Castellanos
• Social Science 193 Class
• The Grain Project
• President Elementary School
• Bay Elementary School
• Riverside Unified School District Nutrition
  Services
• Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District
  nutrition directors
• Santa Ana Unified School District Nutrition
  Services
• Magnolia School District staffs
• Food 4 Thought of SAUSD