Exploring Nutrition Education Resources and Barriers, and Nutrition Knowledge in Teachers in California

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 162 - 169
• Main Authors: Jones, Anna Marie, Zidenberg-Cherr, Sheri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2015; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Barriers; California; Education; educational resources; Faculty - statistics & numerical data; Female; females; Food Services; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Health Education - methods; Health Education - statistics & numerical data; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health promotion; Hispanics; Humans; Internal Medicine; Internet; Knowledge; Latinos; least squares; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Nutrition education; Nutrition Instruction; nutrition knowledge; Nutritional Sciences - education; Public School Teachers; Public Schools; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Reproducibility of Results; school nutrition; surveys; Teachers; Time on Task; Young Adult; California; United States > US; nutrition knowledge; nutrition education; school nutrition; teachers
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1878-2620; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2014.06.011

To determine barriers to nutrition education, nutrition education resources used, and the relationship between nutrition knowledge and whether public school teachers in California teach nutrition in the classroom. A total of 102 teachers in California participated in a Web-based survey about nutrition education barriers, resources used to plan nutrition lessons, and factors that would encourage inclusion of nutrition. A validated questionnaire was used to assess nutrition knowledge. Analyses included ordinary least-squares regression. Common barriers were lack of instructional time and unrelated subject. Teachers were unaware of many nutrition education resources. Nutrition knowledge was not associated with nutrition lessons but was positively associated with teaching high school (β = 5.13; P < .05) and female gender (β = 6.78; P < .05), and negatively associated with identifying as Hispanic or Latino (β = –15.50; P < .001). Barriers of time and lack of unrelated subject matter are difficult to address but lack of awareness of resources indicates that promotion of existing resources may encourage teachers to provide nutrition education. Larger studies are needed to determine whether this holds true in a broader sample.