Year

2024

Season

Summer

Paper Type

Doctoral Dissertation

College

Brooks College of Health

Degree Name

Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN)

Department

Nutrition & Dietetics

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Nutrition & Dietetics

First Advisor

Dr. Jenifer Ross

Second Advisor

Dr. Andrea Arikawa

Third Advisor

Dr. Lauri Wright

Department Chair

Andrea Arikawa

Abstract

The Nourish to Flourish study aimed to decrease the prevalence of obesity among food insecure children in Jacksonville, FL. Specifically, the program focused on nutrition education and access to healthy foods. The study consisted of a 4-week nutrition education series emphasizing the major determinants of healthy weight known as 5-2-1-0! This includes expanding knowledge of fruit and vegetable intake to achieve a target intake of five servings a day, screen time reduction to no more than two hours a day, achieving a physical activity goal of one hour a day outside of school hours, and limiting sugar sweetened beverage consumption to as little as possible. Weekly education was accompanied by recipe demonstrations, cooking skills training, and food baskets. This was a pre-post intervention study that used metrics to determine the impact of education on behavior change through improved knowledge, activity, and skills training. A total of 55 participants completed the study with statistically significant results toward improved nutrition knowledge (ppp=.280). Although there was no statistically significant improvement in screen time or physical activity outcomes there was a decline in screen time usage by 34% (p = .090) and an improvement in physical activity by 41% (p = .066). There was also a statistically significant improvement in BMI measures (p =.028). This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a comprehensive program specifically geared toward education with aims to improve each of the major outcomes that impact childhood obesity. It involved participants and family members by providing cooking demonstrations, recipes, and food baskets which created an interactive and fun learning experience. Participants were assessed at week 0, followed by a four-week educational series, then reevaluated to test for outcomes at 12 weeks.

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