Impact of after-school nutrition workshops in a public library setting.
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 (49 ethnically diverse children, ages 9 to 14) to assess changes in consumption of targeted food items by pretest, posttest, and follow-up food frequency questionnaires. Results were analyzed using the Friedman test for repeated measures and Wilcoxon signed rank test.


RESULTS
Intake of milk, vegetables, and water significantly increased at 3-week posttest (P < .05), but only water intake showed a significant change from pretest to follow-up 3 months later.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Freedman
Marjorie R
MR
Nutrition, Food Science and Packaging Department, San José State University, San José, CA, USA. marjorie.freedman@sjsu.edu
Nickell
Audrey
A
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007990:Libraries; D008297:Male; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*