Objective: To determine if after-school nutrition workshops conducted in public libraries were related to lasting changes in food choice. Methods: "Snack Smart" workshops, based on Social Cognitive Theory, were conducted in 8 branch libraries. Quasi-experimental design assessed changes in consumption of targeted foods by pretest, posttest and follow-up food frequency questionnaires designed by the authors, and analyzed using the Friedman test for repeated measures and Wilcoxon signed ranks. Results: In a convenience sample of 49 ethnically diverse children ages 9 to 14, intake of milk, vegetable, and water significantly increased at 3-week posttest (P < 0.05), but only water intake showed a significant change from pretest to follow-up 3 months later. Conclusions and Implications: This low intensity program did not produce lasting behavior change, as measured by changes in food frequency at 3 months post intervention. The study supports the need to critically evaluate out-of-school nutrition programs for lasting impact.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.