"Someone Stole My Popcorn": Integrating Brief Nutrition Education Into a School-University Service-Learning Physical...

Poor dietary habits disproportionately affect children in under-resourced schools, where time, staffing, and curricular constraints often limit access to structured nutrition education. School-university partnerships that integrate nutrition education into existing programs may offer a feasible and equitable approach to addressing nutrition literacy.

This article describes the implementation and participants' experiences of a brief nutrition education component added to the All Stars Moving Together (ASMT) school-university service-learning physical activity program. Twelve brief (10-min) nutrition education and healthy snack sampling sessions were delivered by undergraduate students, following ASMT physical activity sessions over 8 weeks. Practice-based evidence was supported by a pre-post questionnaire, focus group discussions with elementary students, and narrative reflections from college students to inform perceptions of program impact.

Participants' narratives highlighted exposure and preference to healthy snacks, nutrition knowledge, learning experiences, and awareness of food choice. Integrating brief, experiential nutrition education into existing school-based physical activity programs appears feasible, acceptable, and culturally responsive, while offering a low-cost nutrition approach in under-resourced communities.

Integrating short nutrition education sessions into experiential service-learning school-based programs offers a practical strategy for promoting nutrition literacy and health equity for youth in under-resourced communities.