Committee Chair

Crawford, Elizabeth K.; Rausch, David W.

Committee Member

Silver, Christopher F.; Mathews, Yang I.

Department

School of Professional Studies

College

College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

This dissertation examined the perceptions of a community-based cooking skills and nutrition education class that included an availability sample of adult learners who attended monthly classes offered from 2017-2018. The study was a mixed-methods research design using extant data. Participants completed a nine-question post survey. Two newly developed Likert type scales measured nutrition related self-efficacy and food resource management. Four survey questions were summed as Nutrition Empowerment Score (NES), four survey questions were summed as Food Resource Management Score (FRMS), and one open-ended question provided qualitative data. A total of 12 months of data were used for analysis. The new NES scale showed good reliability, while the FRMS scale did not meet the threshold for reliability. The relationship between NES and FRMS was statistically significant with a moderately positive relationship between the variables. The relationship between NES and the Good and Cheap, Eating Well on $4 a Day curriculum was statistically significant, however, the relationship between the teaching kitchen environment and the class instructor were not statistically significant. Qualitative analysis revealed positive perceptions from participants related to the research variables. The curriculum and teaching kitchen used suggested knowledge gained and application to the home environment. Participants also reported social benefits from the class and a positive view of the various instructors. This study suggests that community-based organizations have a variety of low-cost options related to the teaching kitchen environment and instructor when implementing hands-on nutrition education (HONE) programs using the Good and Cheap curriculum.

Acknowledgments

This work would not have been possible without the educational assistance from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I am especially appreciative to my colleagues in the Department of Health and Human Performance, especially Drs. Kara Hamilton and Char Schmidt, who have been supportive of my academic and professional goals. I am grateful to the Learning and Leadership Doctoral Program faculty and Cohort 11 scholars with whom I have had the pleasure to know and learn with over the past five years. Each member of my Dissertation Committee has provided me with a deeper understanding of the relationship that learning plays in the leadership process through research and reflection. I would especially like to thank Drs. Beth Crawford and David Rausch, the chairs of my committee. Lastly, I would like to thank the Northside Neighborhood House, whose clients and staff have provided my students and me with a rich learning environment to cultivate our hands-on nutrition education (HONE) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) skills.

Degree

Ph. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Date

5-2020

Subject

Adult students; Cooking--Study and teaching; Nutrition--Study and teaching

Keyword

community-based participatory research; hands-on nutrition education; teaching kitchens

Document Type

Doctoral dissertations

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

x, 70 leaves.

Language

English

Rights

https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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