The Comfortable Cafeteria Program for Promoting Student Participation and Enjoyment: An Outcome Study

Area of Science:

• Occupational therapy
• Childhood nutrition
• Social-emotional learning

Background:

• Creating positive mealtime environments is crucial for student well-being and development.
• Occupational therapists can play a role in enhancing social and nutritional experiences for students.
• Existing programs may not adequately address the capacity-building needs of cafeteria supervisors and students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of an occupational therapist-led Comfortable Cafeteria program.
• To assess the program's impact on students' mealtime participation and enjoyment.
• To examine improvements in cafeteria supervisors' knowledge and skills for fostering a positive mealtime environment.

Main Methods:

• A 6-week mixed-methods study involving an occupational therapist-led intervention.
• Utilized visual analog scales (VAS) for pretest-posttest assessment of student participation and enjoyment.
• Included qualitative data collection to explore program insights from students and supervisors.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed in student participation and enjoyment ratings (low and mid-range scores).
• Cafeteria supervisors demonstrated significant gains in perceived knowledge and skills for supervision and promoting healthy eating.
• Qualitative data indicated students learned prosocial values and supervisors actively encouraged positive social interaction.

Conclusions:

• The Comfortable Cafeteria program effectively enhanced student mealtime experiences and supervisor capabilities.
• Integrating occupational therapy services in cafeterias can yield positive changes in student social behavior and supervisor practices.
• The program supports the development of a supportive and healthy school mealtime environment.