Garden2Plate: a 12-week food literacy intervention program for preschoolers in structurally disadvantaged families. Lynne Lafave* PhD, Sonya Jakubec* PhD RN, & Judy Gleeson* PhD RN garden 2plate Plant Wonder Harvest Discover Prepare Share *Faculty of Health, Community and Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada BACKGROUND RESULTS Food literacy, broadly defined as the ability to plan, select, prepare, and eat foods that support health.1 Key themes of food literacy include skills and Figure 1: Semi-structured interviews revealed relationship behaviours, food/health choices, culture, knowledge, emotions, and food building as the foundation of change that resulted in health systems.2 Development of these components begins in early childhood through related behaviour changes in the home. an interplay of modeling and exposure in the home environment. Structurally vulnerable families may experience poorer nutrition profiles which may be a 3 result of various factors including reduced food literacy. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of a 12-week food literacy program in a Mastery . preschool-parent population. Methods Willingness . This study was informed by a social ecological model and followed a concurrent nested mixed methods design that included preschool-parent Vocabulary . Agency dyads. In a 12-week curriculum, preschool-parent dyads engaged in an inclusive group gardening program facilitated by a trained horticultural . Uptake Figure 2: Short video description of the Garden2Plate project https://rebrand.ly/Garden2Plate . therapist (45 minutes) followed by a nutrition-education and food skills program (45 minutes) facilitated by a registered dietitian. Qualitative inquiry DISCUSSSION was based on weekly observations, semi-structured interviews, and photo elicitation tours with preschoolers. Quantitative assessment entailed measuring nutrition risk with NutriSTEP as well as vegetable acceptance Relationship in this study reflected food literacy themes of culture and emotions. Within and eating patterns utilizing “focus on veggies” and children’s eating this context, parents identified this as a pivotal dimension that facilitated motivation, behaviour questionnaire (CEBQ) tools. engagement, and the "seeds of change". Children were curious to connect their accomplishments in the garden to the food they prepared. This transitioned to home life RESULTS where children expressed interest in grocery shopping, choosing vegetables, and meal preparation. The results from this study suggest that preschool-parent dyad participation in a food literacy program within a structurally vulnerable population can improve attitudes Participants and preferences for vegetables and willingness to try new foods. 29 preschool-caregiver dyads (93% mothers/ 55% male child) NutriSTEP decreased (t=3.45; df=28; p=0.002) 40% reduction in moderate and high risk scores (t=3.01; df=28; p=0.005) Focus on Veggies significant increase (t=4.40; df=28; p≤ 0.001) CEBQ no change REFERENCES 1. Vidgen HA, Gallegos D. Defining food literacy and its components. Appetite. 2014;76:50-59. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.01.010 Support gratefully acknowledged: 2. Truman E, Elliott C. Barriers to Food Literacy: A Conceptual Model to Explore Factors Inhibiting Proficiency. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2019;51(1):107-111. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2018.08.008 3. Shankar P, Chung R, Frank DA. Association of Food Insecurity with Children’s Behavioral, Emotional, and Academic Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Behavioral Pediatrics. 2017;38(2):16. Publishing Date: May 2020. © 2020. All rights reserved. Copyright rests with the author. No part of this abstract/poster may be reproduced without written permission from the author.