Outcome Effectiveness of the Widely Adopted EFNEP Curriculum Eating Smart ∙ Being Active.
Sommaire de l'article
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the effectiveness of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) curriculum Eating Smart ∙ Being Active (ESBA).
DESIGN AND SETTING:
A quantitative, multi-state, nonequivalent comparison group pretest-posttest design was used to compare nutrition-related behavior changes in participants. ESBA was compared to previously used curricula for 3 different time periods in 5 states using the EFNEP evaluation tool.
PARTICIPANTS:
Adults enrolled in EFNEP who completed their entry and exit paperwork during any of the 3 time points.
INTERVENTION:
An 8-lesson adult curriculum based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate.
ANALYSIS:
Analysis of variance and covariance (with pretests scores and demographic variables as covariates) were used to analyze data with significance at P ≤ .05.
RESULTS:
ESBA elicited a mean positive behavior change for food resource management (P < .01), food safety (P ≤ .001), nutrition (P < .001), and physical activity level in participating states (P ≤ .01). Compared with previous curricula, ESBA produced better mean outcomes in food resource management, nutrition, physical activity, and intakes of fruit and vegetables.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS:
ESBA is effective at eliciting positive nutrition-related behavior change. The results of this multi-state, practice-based approach suggest that ESBA is effective in multiple settings and has external validity for use in EFNEP and other community nutrition programs.