Impact of a kindergarten through eighth-grade nutrition education program on student, teacher, and schoolwide practices.

INTRODUCTION Low-income children are especially at risk for low fruit and vegetable consumption. Diets lacking in fruits and vegetables are associated with chronic diseases. Successful school-based interventions are key to promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that the degree of teacher involvement has a significant impact on students' and parents' interest in and compliance with school-based nutrition programs. 1 Additionally, teachers have the predominant role in deciding which materials to use and how often to use them for a nutrition intervention. 2 These studies indicate that teachers have authority over the degree of program implementation, and the more they implement, the greater the impact on students. However , some teachers' knowledge and understanding of nutrition education may be limited since the importance of a healthful school environment is not always emphasized in teacher training or school policies. 3 Thus, assessing teacher program implementation level (process evaluations) and their perceptions of program impact (impact evaluations) on students and on classroom and schoolwide practices are important components of a nutrition education program evaluation. However, few evaluations of this nature, particularly longitudinal evaluations, are reported in the literature. This GEM article reports teachers' perception of program impact on students and on classroom and school-wide practices using a cross-sectional survey. The Sierra Cascade Nutrition and Activity Consortium (SCNAC) provides nutrition education services to 12 low-income school districts in northern California. The SCNAC evaluated their adaptation of the Network for a Healthy California Harvest of the Month (HOTM) program for 3 school month during the 9-month school year, students in kindergarten through sixth grade tasted a different fruit or vegetable and participated in related activities. The program is designed to motivate students to increase their preference for and consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition to tastings, teachers received educator newsletters providing strategies for the incorporation of HOTM information with classroom curricula and a flyer with information about the farmer who provided the fruit and vegetable samples. Provision of story books highlighting HOTM fruits and vegetables provided teachers and librarians with another curricula-based tool for message reinforcement. Our process and impact evaluation assessed the level of SCNAC program implementation, as well as the impact of the program at the classroom and school levels. Survey respondents included 190 teachers from 12 schools in 2006, 283 teachers from 32 schools in 2007, and 296 teachers in 33 schools in 2008. …