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Food on the Run

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Food on the Run (FOR) is a multi-component, high-school based intervention program to promote healthful eating and physical activity among adolescents. The program is organized by California Project LEAN, a program of the Public Health Institute. FOR's primary target audience is multiethnic, underserved high school students. The program focuses on strengthening individual skills and knowledge while also working to influence high school policies and environments to increase access to healthy foods and physical activity options. Food on the Run works with teens, parents, community members and local policy makers to educate them on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity, and engage them in developing supportive policy solutions. FOR trains student advocates to conduct research, set goals, and formulate policy solutions to improve their schools' food and physical activity environments. The goals of FOR are to encourage high school students to advocate for additional health food and physical activity options at school; advance policy and environmental changes that promote healthful eating and physical activity, both at school and in the community; and to motivate students to eat more healthfully and engage in more physical activity.

Goal / Mission

The mission of Food on the Run is to increase healthful eating and physical activity among teens as a way to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Results / Accomplishments

Food on the Run currently operates in 28 low-income California high schools. Each year, the student intervention component is evaluated using a pre- and posttest survey. In a recent survey, there was a significant increase in knowledge about and positive attitudes toward physical activity among FOR students (p<0.1). In addition, there was a significant increase in knowledge and positive attitudes toward nutrition (p<0.05), as well as a significant change in healthful eating behavior (p<0.001) among FOR students.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
California Project LEAN
Primary Contact
Public Health Institute
c/o California Project LEAN
1825 Bell Street, Suite 102-A
Sacramento, CA 95825
(925) 708-7027
info@CaliforniaProjectLEAN.org
http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/
Topics
Health / Physical Activity
Organization(s)
California Project LEAN
Source
Public Health Institute; California Department of Public Health
Date of publication
2002
Location
California
For more details
http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/doc.asp?id=44
Target Audience
Teens

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.