SNEB Journal Club 6: What Does Evidence-Based Mean for Nutrition Educators

Funding agencies and professional organizations are increasingly requiring community-based nutrition education programs to be evidence-based. However, few nutrition education interventions have demonstrated efficacy, particularly for interventions that address the outer layers of the socioecological model (ie, organizational, community, and public policy). This webinar reviews the types of evidence available to assess the likelihood that a given intervention will deliver the desired outcomes and how these types of evidence might be applied to nutrition education, and then suggests an approach for nutrition educators to evaluate the evidence and adapt interventions if necessary.

The audience will
• Become familiar with different types of evidence
• Consider the strengths and limitations of each type of evidence
• Identify best practices for choosing an intervention that are applicable to their programming
• Understand ways that an intervention can be adapted while maintaining fidelity

Jamie Dollahite, PhD is Professor of Community Nutrition at Cornell University and directs the Food and Nutrition Education in Communities programs, including the Northeast Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Center of Excellence. .

Cindy Fitch, PhD, RD is the Associate Dean of Programming and Research for the West Virginia University Extension Service. She has 30 years of experience in research, curriculum development, and working with children and families.