Understanding the Impact of Peer Education on Self-Efficacy and Food Literacy in Food Insecure Students

Abstract

Objectives Food insecurity is prevalent on college campuses. Many campuses have food assistance programs (e.g., food pantries, cooking classes, government support) to provide resources and education but research has identified that knowledge related healthy food selection, meal planning, food budgeting, and safe food preparation skills are suboptimal. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the most effective nutrition education model to increase self-efficacy, skill, knowledge, and food choice awareness in the food insecure college student. Methods Eligible university students (N = 54) were recruited and randomized to a three-arm four-week intervention. All participants received weekly food pantry items and pilot nutrition education curriculum through different application models; food demonstration and handout (FD, n = 20), cooking class and handout (CC, n = 14), or handout only (H, n = 20). The weekly one-hour CC was hands-on with tasting at the end. The weekly 20-minute FD was observation only with tasting at the end. Participants completed a validated pre-post survey. Results Using MANOVA, statistically significant (P < 0.05) pre-post changes were identified in all scores (food selection planning, food preparation, food safety storage). The overall food skills score (OFSS), a combined measure, indicated a statistically significant interaction effect between study arms on the combined dependent variable, F(2, 51) = 5.37, P = 0.008, Wilks’ Λ = 0.826, partial n2 = 0.174. A follow-up univariate two-way analysis using Tukey pairwise comparisons identified non-significant pre-post mean differences for OFSS scores between CC (+44.29), FD (+16.05), and H (+20.30). Conclusions Nutrition education through a CC, FD, and H model improves knowledge, skill, and self-efficacy in food insecure students. CC have the largest pre-post improvements but tended to have more attrition. Universities with food pantries should include nutrition education ideally with a hands-on or observation component including tasting of new recipes and foods mirroring food pantry offerings. Campuses can use concise 4-week curriculum to maximize learning and self-efficacy while considering resources (staff, space, materials). Funding Sources California State University Small-Scale Faculty Research Grants 2019-2020 15 K.

Improving health behaviors in food insecure college students through a cooking and gardening nutrition intervention

“…21,26,[44][45][46] Speci cally, studies that have utilized interactive experiences, like those utilized in the current study, have been shown to be more effective at improving self-e cacy than those using other modalities. 21,43,45 Effect of mediators on self-e cacy. Since self-e cacy has proven to have such a large impact on behavior directly, the study aimed to investigate the relationship between the SCT mediators used in this intervention on self-e cacy.…”

“…As mentioned earlier, while no studies have speci cally looked at the effects of reciprocal determinism or changes in environments on self-e cacy, various studies using the SCT as a whole have seen positive changes in self-e cacy, including those using gardening and cooking interventions. 43,[45][46][47][48][49] While nutrition knowledge and outcome expectations did not have a signi cant relationship with self-e cacy, neither signi cantly changed in the intervention group. It is possible that a more accurate measure of nutrition knowledge change in the current study might correlate differently with the change in self-e cacy.…”

“…23 Many other nutrition education intervention studies have been conducted in college students but these have only been successful in improving other dietary behaviors, such as increasing low fat dairy intake and reducing consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. 9,43,51,52 Gardening has also previously been associated with increasing fruit and vegetable intake in multiple populations. 53,54 In college students speci cally, Loso et al and Staub et al have directly associated gardening with increased fruit and vegetable intake.…”