Journal of the American Dietetic Association Online

This educational partnership establishes a flexible, high quality program, that is student- and organization-focused - the model for future DTR training.

TITLE: NUTRITION MISSION — A MULTIMEDIA EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR YOUTH GRADES 4-6

AUTHOR(S): K.L. Cason, Ph.D., R.D.; T.R. Wenrich, M.S.; N. Lv, M.S.; Department of Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University

LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the impact of a multimedia tool on the nutrition knowledge and skills among youth grades 4 though 6.

TEXT: Statistics show that many youth have eating patterns that can impair their current health and affect their lifetime health status. Education can increase youth's knowledge and skills, thereby enabling them to improve eating behaviors. However, youth nutrition education programs have had limited success. Research has indicated that in order to be effective, nutrition education must excite youth, making learning fun. Nutrition Mission is a unique and exciting multimedia educational CD-ROM designed to teach 4th -6th grade students about making healthy choices. The CD-ROM incorporates a rich learning environment using graphics, audio, video, and interactive animations. Prior to development, focus groups with youth were conducted to assess nutrition and physical activity knowledge and behaviors. The data was utilized to develop the CD-ROM's educational messages. During the development process, focus group interviews were conducted with youth, and the CD-ROM was pilot tested with 159 youth. This data was used to design the educational activities. The CD-ROM includes lessons on the food guide pyramid, food labels, nutrient density, fast foods, snacking, physical activity, and food science. The lessons are flexible so that discovery learning can occur. Nutrition Mission includes a pre-test and a post-test evaluation that assesses change in nutrition and physical activity knowledge and skills. Preliminary data indicates that the majority of youth acquire knowledge and skills related to foods, nutrition, and physical activity. A companion web site includes resources for students, educators, and parents. Nutrition Mission can help youth improve eating behaviors by providing research-based information in an innovative learning environment.

TITLE: EVALUATING CRITICAL THINKING OF DIETETIC INTERNS USING CONCEPT MAPS

AUTHOR(S): E. F. Molaison, PhD, LDN, RD, D. M. Erickson, MPH, LDN, RD, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA

LEARNING OUTCOME: To understand the role concept mapping plays in critical thinking skill development in dietetic interns.

TEXT: The need to teach critical thinking is becoming a major component of dietetics education. Other health disciplines have used the linking process of concept mapping as a strategy to teach and evaluate critical thinking skills, yet the use of this technique is limited in dietetics education. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to implement concept mapping into a dietetic internship to teach and evaluate dietetic interns' critical thinking skills related to nutrition assessment and planning. Nineteen dietetic interns in the same program were taught to use concept maps prior to entering clinical facilities. Each was asked to develop a concept map using a data from a traditional nutrition care plan.

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Journal of the American Dietetic Association Online

During the nine months of rotations within the facilities, students completed a total of 15 concept maps, each on a different aspect of medical nutrition therapy. At the end of the internship, the students were asked to create a second concept map using the same nutrition care plan given to them at the beginning of the program. In addition, data was gathered to evaluate the students' perception of the concept mapping process as a learning tool. Three trained registered dietitians scored the two sets of concept maps and an average score was obtained for the two maps. Paired t-test was used to compare the first concept map to the final concept map. Results indicated that there was a significant difference (p<0.0001) between the mean score of the first concept map (41.1) and the second map (124.6). There was no significant difference in mean scores of the first or second map between the students that used care plans as part of their undergraduate program and those that did not use care plans. Overall, the interns felt the maps were most beneficial in helping them understand relationships between pathophysiology and nutrition care, apply principles of clinical nutrition in the clinical setting, engage in critical thinking, and become an independent, self-directed learner. The results of this study indicate that concept mapping is a beneficial way to improve students' critical thinking abilities. In addition, the students did perceive the maps as a useful tool in understanding clinical nutrition and planning nutrition care.

POSTER SESSION: WELLNESS AND PUBLIC HEALTH/EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND COUNSELING

TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE EATING HABITS OF 8-10 YEAR OLD CHILDREN

AUTHOR(S): B.D. Braun, BS; L.H. Clemens, EdD, RD; R.R. Roach, MPH, EdD, RD, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee; M. Murphy, MS, RD, LDN, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis, Tennessee

LEARNING OUTCOME: To increase the awareness of influences on children's dietary intake.

TEXT: A child's eating habits and behaviors are influenced by families and the school environment. Therefore, efforts aimed at teaching a child healthy eating habits must be represented in the home and school. Education, along with encouragement and good role modeling, can help a child learn what, how, and when to eat and how to make healthy choices. Focus group methodology was used to gather data on how children perceive the food messages that others in their environment are sending. Third and fourth grade boys and girls were evaluated. There were seven focus groups with 3-8 children in each (n = 39). We examined the information sources, behaviors, feelings, observations, controls/restrictions, and models of the subjects. Many of the patterns that developed follow closely with previous research results and literature. The children overwhelmingly reported that their dietary intake was restricted by parents and teachers but seemed to find the restrictions to be “normal”. However, in some cases, the data showed negative reactions to those restrictions, like sneaking and trading of food. The data also showed that teachers have a large influence in how and what children eat and their behavior toward food and nutrition. In conclusion, this study further emphasizes the need for nutrition education and modeling of good nutrition practices in the home and school setting.

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