Beyond the plate: Exploring students' experiences with a food education intervention in an after-school program...

Establishing healthy dietary patterns in childhood lowers the risk of developing non-communicable diseases. After-school programs are important settings in public health work, as they reach a majority of young students and shape everyday food and meal practices.The aim of this study was to explore students' experiences of being "food agents", a central role in an intervention aiming to increase food literacy competencies. The after-school program employees' experiences with students as food agents during the intervention were included in the analysis, to broaden the perspectives.

Qualitative focus groups and individual interviews.

Qualitative focus groups with 19 students from 2nd (7-8 years old) to 4th grade (10-11 years old) and individual interviews with six after-school program employees in Norway. The anonymous transcripts were uploaded to Nvivo 15 and analysed inductively using Braun and Clarkes reflexive thematic analysis approach.

The students enjoyed being part of the intervention and acting as food agents. They reported joy of preparing and serving food, learning new cooking skills and trying new foods. Gaining responsibility and receiving positive feedback from peers on their work is something which provided them with a sense of growth and mastering. This feedback was supported by the staff who observed positive engagement among the students.

Our results suggest that including students in preparing and serving meals in after-school programs can provide students with valuable experiences related to both food literacy competencies and personal growth.