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Changes in Perceptions of Nutrition and Obesity in an Interdisciplinary Graduate Course
Author(s) -
Berg Alison Clune,
Bignell Whitney E,
Shollenberger Kellyn Wright,
Johnson Mary Ann
Publication year - 2016
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.30.1_supplement.675.6
Subject(s) - obesity , medical education , workforce , medicine , baseline (sea) , gerontology , promotion (chess) , public health , psychology , political science , nursing , politics , law
This study aimed to explore changes in perceptions about nutrition and obesity among students enrolled in a graduate course, Nutrition and Obesity Across the Lifespan. The course is part of a graduate certificate in obesity and weight management designed for students pursuing careers as practitioners in agriculture, Extension, food science, journalism, nutrition, public health, teaching, and related areas, with the goal of improving the capacity of the workforce to address the obesity epidemic from an interdisciplinary perspective. In fall 2014, the enrolled students completed, as part of course requirements, an online questionnaire at baseline (0 months) and at the end of the semester (4 months) regarding the open‐ended question, “Write down everything that comes to mind when you think of nutrition and obesity across the lifespan.” Demographic information was collected at baseline. Data were assessed using qualitative content analysis techniques to explore changes during the semester in perceptions about nutrition and obesity across the lifespan. Students (n = 19) were mostly female (84%), non‐Hispanic white (68%), mean age 23.8 ± 1.9 y, and were from 5 colleges and enrolled in 7 departments: foods and nutrition (n = 9), food science and technology (3), kinesiology (2), health promotion and behavior (1), health and medical journalism (1), horticulture (1) and workforce development (1). At baseline, themes emerged related to perceptions of obesity as 1) a life course issue, 2) having to do with food and eating, 3) resulting in negative physiological outcomes, and 4) a problem that needs to be solved, with more than 25% of students reporting these themes. At the end of the semester, the most salient theme was that nutrition and obesity across the lifespan is a “complex issue,” with 94% of students (n = 18) identifying this theme. While the four themes identified at baseline remained relevant (> 25% of students reporting) at the end of the semester, the “environment” emerged as an additional theme. While no students identified the food industry as part of the potential solution to obesity at baseline, 26% of students reported this theme at the end of the semester. This study yields insights into how graduate students from diverse disciplines training to become practitioners can change their perceptions about nutrition and obesity in ways that may benefit their understanding of the complex nature of the nutrition‐related causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity throughout life. Support or Funding Information Unrestricted Grant from The Coca‐Cola Company to assist with analyzing and presenting the data after the course was completed.