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“Choose Your Plate”: A Nutritional Education Curriculum Intended to Create Young Health Advocates
Author(s) -
Gupta Aditi
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.911.13
Subject(s) - curriculum , session (web analytics) , population , focus group , participatory action research , citizen journalism , comprehension , medical education , psychology , gerontology , medicine , pedagogy , sociology , environmental health , political science , linguistics , philosophy , world wide web , computer science , anthropology , law
As a focus on preventative health education continues to grow, there is a rising need to deliver this information at an earlier age to establish long‐term health behaviors. Young people are intimately embedded within their communities and can become prime health advocates for their families and peers. This study intends to establish a well‐versed understanding of the United States Department of Agriculture's “My Plate” nutritional standards using visual learning and photography under a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) framework. Twelve female fourth grade students participated in the study. The group met with the principal investigator for four core educational modules, each of which included a specific lesson and a visual learning activity. Participants also took three photographs of their meals, before and after the curriculum was delivered, to serve as comparison data points. A concluding session was held to demonstrate the participants' comprehension of the material and provide a platform for a “teach‐back” exercise. Quantitative data analysis demonstrates that participants increased their fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased intake of sugary beverages. Qualitative data analysis displayed a thorough understanding of the “My Plate” guidelines amongst participants and indicated that the students were able to repackage the information in novel ways. An elementary school‐based model for nutritional education is relevant for the pediatric population, who is likely to receive their early nutritional science exposure through their teachers. This population is also intimately connected with other individuals and can spread awareness by becoming young health advocates for their communities.