Abstract
Background
Food skills are defined as meal planning, preparation, shopping, budgeting, resourcefulness,
and label reading/consumer awareness. To date, food skills have not been tested in
intervention-based studies.
Objective
To evaluate the feasibility of implementing a food skills intervention.
Design
This was an 8-week prospective food skills intervention. Study measures were completed
through questionnaires provided before the start of the intervention and after the
intervention was completed. For questionnaires, the web platform REDCap was used.
Participants and setting
Thirty parents (aged 18 years or older) with at least one child (aged 2 to 12 years),
attended weekly virtual intervention sessions via Zoom. The intervention took place
from August to October 2020 with assessment measures collected within 2 months of
the start and end date of the intervention. Participants were from the mid-Atlantic
region of the United States
Intervention
A food skills intervention based on behavior modification strategies from the Social
Cognitive Theory was implemented. Intervention goals included meal planning (six of
seven dinner meals per week), meal plan implementation (at least four of six planned
dinner meals), and always using a grocery list when shopping.
Main outcome measures
Feasibility was evaluated based on parent attendance, number of self-monitoring booklets
completed, adherence to goals, implementation fidelity, and qualitative responses
to interviews. Change in food skills confidence and nutrition knowledge were also
assessed.
Statistical analysis
Descriptive statistics and qualitative responses were used to describe feasibility.
Paired t tests were used to evaluate change in food skills confidence and nutrition knowledge
from baseline to 8 weeks.
Results
Parents attended a mean of 7.6 ± 1.0 (out of eight) sessions and completed a mean
of 6.2 ± 1.7 (out of seven) self-monitoring booklets. Parents planned a mean of 6.1
± 1.5 dinners per week and implemented a mean of 4.7 ± 1.6 of the six planned dinners,
achieving the intervention goals. Of the mean 1.2 ± 0.6 trips/week to the grocery
store reported, grocery lists were used a mean of 1.1 ± 0.6 times. Mean food skills
confidence score increased significantly from baseline to 8 weeks (baseline = 86.5
± 18.0; 8 weeks = 101.4 ± 15.3; P < 0.001). Mean nutrition knowledge score also significantly increased (baseline =
64.1 ± 7.2; 8 weeks = 69.1 ± 6.6; P < 0.001). Parents reported on a scale of zero (“easy”) to 10 (“difficult”) a mean
difficulty rating of 2.4 ± 2.4 for meal planning, a mean of 2.1 ± 2.1 for meal plan
implementation, and a mean of 1.0 ± 1.7 for always using a grocery shopping list indicating
acceptability of goals.
Conclusions
Feasibility of a food skills intervention was demonstrated by high session attendance,
high numbers of self-monitoring booklets turned in, high achievement of intervention
goals, parent acceptability, and high ratings of implementation fidelity. There was
an increase in food skill confidence and nutrition knowledge. Future research should
examine the efficacy of changing food skill behaviors on dietary intake.
Keywords
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Biography
A. K. Fultz is a postdoctoral fellow, Center for Health Behavior Research, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Biography
S. Baker is an assistant professor, Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark.
Biography
J. Trabulsi is an associate professor and chair, Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark.
Biography
A. V. Alvarado is a graduate student, Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark.
Biography
S. M. Robson is an associate professor, Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark.
Biography
E. Anderson Steeves is an assistant professor, Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 26, 2022
Accepted:
February 23,
2022
Received:
May 18,
2021
Footnotes
Supplementary Materials: Figures 1 and 2 are available at www.jandonline.org
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This study was funded by the Summer Doctoral Fellowship Award from University of Delaware Graduate College.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
