California Project LEAN’s Food on the Run program is dedicated to increasing healthy eating and physical activity among adolescents. 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 utilizes the Spectrum of Prevention model which describes six levels of prevention activities -- from strengthening individual knowledge and skills to influencing policy (Cohen, L., & Swift, S., 1999). At full intervention, 28 low-income high schools in 20 counties participated in Food on the Run.
METHODS
A Social Marketing Approach From 1998 through 2000, Food on the Run's primary target audience was low-income, early adopter adolescents -- the Diffusion of Innovations category with the highest degree of opinion leadership in most social systems (Rogers, 1983).
Formative research methods utilized in the design of this social marketing campaign included literature and commercial market data reviews, focus groups, and key informant and one-on-one interviews. This research informed the social marketing plan targeting adolescents and guided development of strategies addressing non-supportive policies affecting the adolescents’ abilities to engage in positive behavior changes.
During the formative research stage, adolescents repeatedly identified limited access to healthy foods as a barrier to accomplishing desired behavioral outcomes (Flora, J., & Myhre, S., 1998).
Media Advocacy Strategy Added Realizing that individual behavior change was just one approach to social change, program planners employed a systems change approach working with adolescents trained in nutrition, physical activity, media advocacy, and policy. Students advocated for positive school policies and helped release the California High School Fast Food Survey (Samuels & Associates, 2000), which detailed the widespread availability of fast foods on high school campuses. The survey release was designed to reframe the issue from the behavior of the adolescents for purchasing fast foods at school to the public policy issue of providing unhealthy foods on high school campuses.
Results Release of the Fast Food Survey led to:
News coverage in all California major media markets and other national media, including mention in U.S. News & World Reports (Takada, E., 2001).
California legislation restricting the sale of unhealthy foods in public schools
Additional Accomplishments
Youth Leadership Food on the Run trained student advocates to conduct research, set goals, and formulate policy solutions to improve their schools' food and physical activity environments. Advocacy workbooks and an award-winning teen web site www.caprojectlean.org were created to assist teens in the advocacy process.
School Environment Changes Statistically significant increases (p < .01) were made in the availability of healthy food and physical activity options at Food on the Run schools (e.g., adding salad bars and convincing school districts to switch from high fat to low fat milk) (Takada, E., 2000). Additionally, release of the 2000 California High School Fast Food report helped launch new California legislation requiring more stringent nutritional standards in California elementary and middle schools.
Positive Student Behavior Changes Students also significantly improved (p < .01) their nutrition attitudes, behavior and knowledge. (Agron, P., Takada, E., & Purcell, A., 2002)
Awards
Food on the Run was featured in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new Cynergy CD-ROM, which details how a complex communications campaign that utilizes multiple channels is planned from beginning to end.
Food on the Run's Teen web site www.caprojectlean.org received a 2001 World Wide Web Health Award.
Nationally-Recognized Program & Materials
Food on the Run evaluation results were published in the March 2002 adolescent nutrition supplement to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Food on the Run educational tools Jump Start Teens and Playing the Policy Game high school resource kits and the Food on the Run parent brochure were recommended in the January-February 2002 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Jump Start Teens also received an “excellent” rating from the California Department of Education’s Healthy Kids Resource Center.
Teen-tested Simple Solution to the Energy Problem materials developed for Food on the Run feature a radio and television commercial, poster, and counter display and tip sheet promoting healthy eating and physical activity.
For more information on Food on the Run, contact Jennifer Robertson, M.S., R.D., at[email protected](916) 552-9958.
Acknowledgment This project was supported by funding from the California Endowment and the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
References
AGRON, P., TAKADA, E., & PURCELL, A. (2002) California Project LEAN’s Food on the Run Program: An evaluation of a high school-based student advocacy nutrition and physical activity program. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Adolescent Nutrition Supplement, 102(3), 103-105.
COHEN, L., & SWIFT, S. (1999) The spectrum of prevention: Developing a comprehensive approach to injury prevention. Injury Prevention, 5:203-207.
