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Peer‐Led, School‐Based Nutrition Education for Young Adolescents: Feasibility and Process Evaluation of the TEENS Study
Author(s) -
Story Mary,
Lytle Leslie A.,
Birnbaum Amanda S.,
Perry Cheryl L.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2002.tb06529.x
Subject(s) - nutrition education , intervention (counseling) , psychological intervention , peer education , promotion (chess) , health promotion , psychology , medical education , health education , peer group , medicine , public health , gerontology , developmental psychology , nursing , political science , politics , law , psychiatry
Peer education has become a popular strategy for health promotion interventions with adolescents, but it has not been used widely in school‐based nutrition education. This paper describes and reports on the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school‐based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable intakes and lower fat foods. About 1,000 seventh‐grade students in eight schools received the nutrition intervention. Of these, 272 were trained as peer leaders to assist the teacher in implementing the activities. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation based on peer leader and classroom student feedback, direct classroom observation, and teacher ratings and interviews are presented. Results show that peer‐led nutrition education approaches in schools are feasible and have high acceptability among peer leaders, classroom students, and teachers. ( J Sch Health. 2002;72(3):121–127)