Teens Implementing a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program in the Community: Feasibility and Perceptions of a Partnership with HSTA and iCook 4-H
by
Rebecca L. Hagedorn 1
,
Jade A. White 1,
Lisa Franzen-Castle 2,
Sarah E. Colby 3,
Kendra K. Kattelmann 4,
Adrienne A. White 5 and
Melissa D. Olfert 1,*
Rebecca L. Hagedorn 1,
Jade A. White 1,
Lisa Franzen-Castle 2,
Sarah E. Colby 3,
Kendra K. Kattelmann 4,
Adrienne A. White 5 and
Melissa D. Olfert 1,*
1
Natural Resources & Design, Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, Davis College of Agriculture, West Virginia University, G016 Agricultural Science Building, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
2
Nutrition and Health Sciences Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 110 Ruth Leverton Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA
3
Department of Nutrition, University of Tennessee, 1215 W. Cumberland Avenue, 229 Jessie Harris Building, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
4
Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences, South Dakota State University, Box 2275A, SWG 425, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
5
School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, 5735 Hitchner Hall, Orono, ME 04469, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15(5), 934; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15050934
Received: 26 March 2018 / Revised: 2 May 2018 / Accepted: 4 May 2018 / Published: 7 May 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity Prevention in Children and Adolescents)
High school student researchers and teen leaders from the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA), under the supervision of HSTA teachers, led a childhood obesity prevention (COP) program (iCook 4-H). The objective was to evaluate the feasibility and perceptions of having teen leaders implement a COP program for dyads of youth (9–10 years old) and their primary adult food preparer. Behavior change and perceptions were assessed through surveys and open-ended interviews. Across eight HSTA organizations, 43 teen leaders participated in teaching the iCook 4-H program to 24 dyads. Increased frequency of culinary skills, physical activity and mealtime behavior were reported by youth. Almost all adults (93%) reported that their youth had learned kitchen skills and that the program provided youth-adult quality time and developed culinary skills. Youth echoed adult perceptions with additional themes of food safety and physical activity. HSTA teen leaders perceived the program to be successful and reported the training they received to implement the program was adequate 98% of the time. HSTA teachers found the program to be beneficial for HSTA students in improving leadership, confidence and responsibility. iCook 4-H was feasible to be disseminated through teen leaders in the HSTA program. This teen-led approach could serve as a model for youth health-related programming.
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Keywords:
teens as teachers; high school; childhood obesity
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MDPI and ACS Style
Hagedorn, R.L.; White, J.A.; Franzen-Castle, L.; Colby, S.E.; Kattelmann, K.K.; White, A.A.; Olfert, M.D. Teens Implementing a Childhood Obesity Prevention Program in the Community: Feasibility and Perceptions of a Partnership with HSTA and iCook 4-H. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 934.
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