Development and Implementation of Food Literacy Workshops in the Community
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
Nutritional factors are responsible for 10% of the global health burden. In Israel, 31% of Jewish women and 52% of Arab women are obese. It is predicted that this generation will see increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreased life expectancy. Sustained lifestyle changes including small changes in nutrition behavior, can substantially reduce the risk of CVD.
Eating habits are affected by different abilities, circumstances, and skill sets, however, most nutrition programs focus on nutrition facts, and less on skills that can help translate knowledge to positive health behaviors and health outcomes. In the last decade a new field has emerged, Food literacy (FL), which acknowledges the importance of addressing skills such as nutrition knowledge, competencies, self-efficacy, literacy and health literacy, so as to enable positive change in nutrition behaviors. Food literacy, in summary, is the capability to make healthy food choices in different contexts, settings and situations.
The proposed program seeks to improve nutrition behaviors in disadvantaged communities via a train-the-trainers program, that will provide community leaders with the tools necessary to disseminate FL skills through the framework of existing community social-structures.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Detailed Description
Nutritional factors are responsible for 10% of the global health burden. In Israel, 31% of Jewish women and 52% of Arab women are obese. Diabetes rates are rising in accordance with the rise in obesity. Because of these factors, it is predicted that this generation will see increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreased life expectancy. Sustained lifestyle changes including small changes in nutrition behavior, can substantially reduce the risk of CVD.
Eating habits are affected by different abilities, circumstances, and skill sets, however, most nutrition programs focus on nutrition facts, and less on skills that can help translate knowledge to positive health behaviors and health outcomes. In the last decade a new field has emerged, Food literacy (FL), which acknowledges the importance of addressing skills such as nutrition knowledge, competencies, self-efficacy, literacy and health literacy, so as to enable positive change in nutrition behaviors. FL, in summary, is the capability to make healthy food choices in different contexts, settings and situations.
The proposed program seeks to improve nutrition behaviors in disadvantaged communities via a train-the-trainers program, that will provide community leaders with the tools necessary to disseminate food literacy skills through the framework of existing community social-structures.
In stage I of the study, community lay leaders from pre-existing community frameworks of Belz Hasidic Haredi community and Arab lay leaders from East Jerusalem will undergo training in a manualized program that enables lay leaders to effectively disseminate FL skills through engaging visual and game-based tools.In stage II the lay leaders will implement the program in their communities.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Lay leader training in FL intervention Community lay leaders from pre-existing community frameworks will undergo training in a manualized program that enables lay leaders to effectively disseminate food literacy skills through engaging visual and game-based tools in a food literacy workshop. Post training, lay leaders will implement the food literacy workshop in their communities. |
Behavioral: FL lay leader training and workshop implementation
Intervention components will include a training course for community lay leaders, enabling them to acquire the skills to lead food literacy workshops. This includes raising their knowledge about nutrition recommendations and food labels, raisin self efficacy, and improving nutrition related organization and preparation skills.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in Mediterranean Diet adherence [At baseline and three months after intervention]
Women complete self report survey reporting on their eating habits, including consumption of sweets, sweet beverages, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change in the level of food literacy [At baseline and three months after intervention]
Level of food literacy will be assessed by using a food literacy self report scale based on Poelman's Self-Perceived Food Literacy (SPFL) questionnaire (Poelman et al, 2018).
- Change in lay leaders' Self Efficacy: self report questionnaire [At baseline and three months after intervention]
Self Efficacy will be assessed through self report questionnaires, assessing participants self-efficacy in facilitating the food literacy material to target populations among trainers.
- FL workshops in the community [One year post intervention]
Each lay leader will have implemented a FL workshop in their community, within a year of graduating the FL-lay leader training course. This will be assessed through phone interviews with the participants and research staff supervision.
- Change in Attitude to diet [At baseline and three months after intervention]
Attitude to diet will be assessed by using a self report scale based on C.Pettinger's Attitude to Diet questionnaire (Pettinger, Holdsworth, Gerber, 2004).
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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Women who are recognized leaders in the community
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Participants for the Arab training program must speak and read Arabic
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Participants for the Belz training program must speak and read Hebrew
Exclusion Criteria:
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Arab women from East Jerusalem who do not meet leadership criteria
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Belz women who are not established community group leaders
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel | Jerusalem | Israel | 91120 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Hadassah Medical Organization
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Donna R Zwas, MD, MPH, Hadassah Medical Organization
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
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- Desjardins, E.
- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, Gómez-Gracia E, Ruiz-Gutiérrez V, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Lamuela-Raventos RM, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X, Basora J, Muñoz MA, Sorlí JV, Martínez JA, Fitó M, Gea A, Hernán MA, Martínez-González MA; PREDIMED Study Investigators. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jun 21;378(25):e34. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1800389. Epub 2018 Jun 13.
- Kalter-Leibovici O, Chetrit A, Lubin F, Atamna A, Alpert G, Ziv A, Abu-Saad K, Murad H, Eilat-Adar S, Goldbourt U. Adult-onset diabetes among Arabs and Jews in Israel: a population-based study. Diabet Med. 2012 Jun;29(6):748-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2011.03516.x.
- Vidgen HA, Gallegos D. Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite. 2014 May;76:50-9. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.01.010. Epub 2014 Jan 22.
- Wang H, Dwyer-Lindgren L, Lofgren KT, Rajaratnam JK, Marcus JR, Levin-Rector A, Levitz CE, Lopez AD, Murray CJ. Age-specific and sex-specific mortality in 187 countries, 1970-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012 Dec 15;380(9859):2071-94. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61719-X.
- FL-HMO-CTIL