Evaluation Summary

The 2nd grade nutrition education program is developed for second graders and aligns with the USDA’s nutrition guidance system. The second grade program includes nine lessons aligned with California’s Common Core Standards. Topics build from first grade with classifying foods into the five food groups and builds on planning balanced meals. 

Lessons Cover

• Importance of consuming nutritious foods from the five food groups
• Minimizing consumption of low-nutrient foods high in sugars and fats
• Importance of eating a balanced meals and snacks
• Being physically active for 60 minutes per day

Program Materials

• Teacher guide
• Box of food pictures for in-class activities helping children to identify foods
• A storybook
• Student workbooks
• A Note to Families brochure sent home with students
  

Key findings from evaluating the program

• The program improved students’ competency to classify foods within food groups
• The program improved students’ ability to identify nutritious snack foods over foods high in empty calories
• Increases in nutrition knowledge persisted throughout the school year
• Students reported eating more proteins, dairy products, vegetables, and whole grain foods for breakfast after the program
• Students were more physically active following the program 
• Parent nutrition resources further improved student nutrition knowledge and snack choices
• Teachers reported that the program was easy to implement in their classrooms

Conclusions

The 2nd grade program second graders was easily implemented by teachers, and it appeared to improve children’s knowledge of food groups and healthy snacks. There was also evidence that the program increased children’s physical activity and their consumption of nutritious food group foods for breakfast instead of foods high in empty calories. 

About the study

The program was evaluated by researchers at WestEd, an independent research firm. Primary outcomes of interest included teachers’ and students’ satisfaction of the program, the age-appropriateness of the nutrition education lessons, and whether or not children gained nutrition knowledge, increased physical activity, and ate more nutritious breakfasts during the program. The summative evaluation included 38 second grade California classrooms (close to 800 students) during the 2005-2006 school year. The second grade evaluation included a Control group for comparison, and it measured Intervention and Control groups prior to and after participating in the program. 

The project also assessed student outcomes based on nutrition education information sent home to parents. Half of the classrooms receiving the nutrition lessons received a second parent booklet, Healthy Eating For Busy Families. Results suggest that the additional materials improved student nutrition knowledge, healthy dietary behaviors such as eating vegetables or cheese for a snack, and intent to change future dietary choices. This indicates the significant impact parents have on second graders' food choices.

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