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Students prefer service learning over traditional lecture in a nutrition course.
Author(s) -
Stavrianeas Stasinos
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.683.1
Subject(s) - medical education , curriculum , psychology , medicine , mathematics education , pedagogy
This project had two objectives: examine what children actually consume during school lunch, and provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to participate in a service learning research project. Method: All students (n=30) in a junior‐level general nutrition course volunteered for this study and formed teams who visited 3 elementary schools every day for one week. Elementary school students (n=30/school/day) were randomly selected and their lunch trays were photographed twice: immediately after they completed their food selection and right before they returned their used trays. Teams then compiled data (servings consumed, type of entrée, etc.) from the pictures on a spreadsheet. Food intake was estimated by subtracting the leftover food from what the child had placed on the tray. Analysis of nutrient content and caloric value of the food was conducted with the use of a commercially available nutrient database. The activity was easy to administer and was incorporated into the course curriculum. Outcomes: The student‐investigators submitted their report to the local school district and children's advocate groups, resulting in changes in the schools’ menu. Student surveys indicated a very high degree of satisfaction with this research activity and its positive impact on the local community.