Assessing Educational Materials Using Cognitive Interviews Can Improve and Support Lesson Design

We used cognitive interviews to assess the reactions of a sample of low-income men (n=4) and women (n=4) to a model nutrition education lesson designed to increase functional vegetable intake. Participant comments on the lesson\u27s wording, slide titles, format, graphics, and message clarity and relevance enabled us to improve a functional vegetable lesson series from which the model lesson was drawn by simplifying unfamiliar wording and recipe instructions, using preferred slide titles and format, replacing problematic graphics, and clarifying advice on intake recommendations

Nutrition Mission--A Multimedia Educational Tool for Youth Grades 4 - 6

Nutrition Mission is a multimedia educational CD-ROM with an accompanying Web site designed to teach 4th - 6th grade students about making healthy food and activity choices. The CD-ROM incorporates a rich learning environment using graphics, audio, video, and interactive animations to excite students and make learning about nutrition fun. The CD includes lessons about the food guide pyramid, food labels, nutrient density, fast foods, snacking, physical activity, and food science experiments. Preliminary data indicates that the majority of youth acquire knowledge and skills related to foods, nutrition, and physical activity

Family Members\u27 Influence on Family Meal Vegetable Choices

Objective—Characterize the process of family vegetable selection (especially cruciferous, deep orange, and dark green leafy vegetables); demonstrate the usefulness of Exchange Theory (how family norms and past experiences interact with rewards and costs) for interpreting the data. Design—Eight focus groups, two with each segment (men/women vegetable-likers/dislikers based on a screening form). Participants completed a vegetable intake form. Setting—Rural Appalachian Pennsylvania. Participants—61 low-income, married/cohabiting men (n=28) and women (n=33). Analysis—Thematic analysis within Exchange Theory framework for qualitative data. Descriptive analysis, t-tests and chi-square tests for quantitative data. Results—Exchange Theory proved useful for understanding that regardless of sex or vegetable liker/ disliker status, meal preparers see more costs than rewards to serving vegetables. Past experience plus expectations of food preparer role and of deference to family member preferences supported a family norm of serving only vegetables acceptable to everyone. Emphasized vegetables are largely ignored due to unfamiliarity; family norms prevented experimentation and learning through exposure. Conclusions and Implications—Interventions to increase vegetable consumption of this audience could 1) alter family norms about vegetables served, 2) change perceptions of past experiences, 3) reduce social and personal costs of serving vegetables and 4) increase tangible and social rewards of serving vegetables