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Peer-led, school-based nutrition education for young adolescents: feasibility and process evaluation of the TEENS
Mary Story1, Leslie A Lytle, Amanda S Birnbaum
1Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA. story@epi.umn.edu
Abstract:
Peer education has become a popular strategy for health promotion interventions with adolescents, but it has not been used widely in school-based nutrition education. This paper describes and reports on the feasibility of the peer leader component of a school-based nutrition intervention for young adolescents designed to increase fruit and vegetable intakes and lower fat foods. About 1,000 seventh-grade students in eight schools received the nutrition intervention. Of these, 272 were trained as peer leaders to assist the teacher in implementing the activities. Results from a multicomponent process evaluation based on peer leader and classroom student feedback, direct classroom observation, and teacher ratings and interviews are presented. Results show that peer-led nutrition education approaches in schools are feasible and have high acceptability among peer leaders, classroom students, and teachers.