Food Literacy Intervention - is a "Train the Trainer" Approach Feasible and Effective?

Summary

Food literacy (FL) is the capability to make healthy food choices in different contexts, settings and situations. Although eating habits are shaped by different circumstances and skills, most nutrition programs focus on nutrition knowledge alone. Addressing factors such as competencies, self-efficacy and social norms enables sustainable positive change in nutrition behaviour. This study will assess a lay leader-led FL workshop to Arab and Jewish women from disadvantaged communities in the Jerusalem region, utilizing a train-the-trainer approach, and will compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a lay-led FL intervention to an expert-led intervention.

Conditions

• Lifestyle Risk Reduction
• Health Behavior
• Food Habits

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Lay-led FL workshops

Groups of women recruited by trained lay-leaders will receive an 8-session lay-led FL workshop. Workshop participants will receive a self-report baseline survey at the first session, and post surveys at the last session and 3 months after the last session. The surveys will be anonymous and will be conducted and collected by the lay workshop facilitator. Lay-leaders will receive an incentive to collect surveys from workshop participants. A member of the research staff will be present at the time of the survey collection to ensure data are collected according to protocol. Monthly phone calls with lay-leaders will take place to ensure implementation in the community, including problem solving and help maintaining motivation. To help ensure implementation in the lay-led arm, lay leaders will be required to complete one workshop in the community before receiving a graduation certificate.

BEHAVIORAL

Expert-led workshops

Matching groups of women recruited by research staff will receive the same 8-session expert-led FL workshop. Workshop participants will receive a self-report baseline survey at the first session, and post surveys at the last session and 3 months after the last session. The surveys will be anonymous and will be conducted and collected by the expert workshop facilitator.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hebrew University of Jerusalem

  collaborator OTHER

• Hadassah Medical Organization

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Donna R Zwas, MD, MPH · Hadassah Medical Organization

• Yael Bar-Zeev, MD, MPH, PhD · Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

25 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-12-31

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2027-02-01