title: Peer-led, school-based nutrition education for young adolescents: feasibility and process evaluation of the TEENS study.
abstract: Peer education has become a popular strategy for health promotion interventions with adolescents, but it has not been used widely in school-based nutrition education. This paper describes and reports on the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school-based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable intakes and lower fat foods. About 1,000 seventh-grade students in eight schools received the nutrition intervention. Of these, 272 were trained as peer leaders to assist the teacher in implementing the activities. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation based on peer leader and classroom student feedback, direct classroom observation, and teacher ratings and interviews are presented. Results show that peer-led nutrition education approaches in schools are feasible and have high acceptability among peer leaders, classroom students, and teachers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. story@epi.umn.edu
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Story
authors.forename: Leslie A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Lytle
authors.forename: Amanda S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Birnbaum
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003479:Curriculum; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008910:Minnesota; D010379:Peer Group; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D012572:School Health Services