Community-Engaged Development of a Nutrition Curriculum: The Go Healthy Indigenous-Supported Agriculture Study

To understand how Osage Nation community members define healthy eating and develop a corresponding nutrition curriculum through community engagement.

This project comprised a concurrent embedded mixed methods group concept mapping (GCM) study followed by focus group discussions (FGD) to provide feedback on a nutrition curriculum.

Osage Nation, Oklahoma.

In the GCM study, 54 participants were recruited from a study of an Indigenous-supported agriculture program. GCM study participants and the Go Healthy Advisory Group participated in 2 FGDs.

For the first study, concepts related to healthy eating were explored. In the second study, participants provided feedback on curriculum clarity, perceived efficacy, and relevance.

In the first study, a multidimensional scaling algorithm was used to plot statements, and concept clusters were interpreted in a facilitated meeting with participants. A basic content analysis approach was used in the second study.

Five concept clusters related to healthy eating were identified. These clusters were used to generate an 8-module curriculum deemed clear, potentially efficacious, and relevant among FGD participants.

Community members contributed to a framework of healthy eating for the Osage community, which was used to develop a nutrition curriculum that will be integrated into an Indigenous-supported agriculture program. Future research should explore long-term sustainability and the broader cultural impacts of nutrition programs on Indigenous health and food sovereignty.