My mom usually buys me bottles of Gatorade and I am trying to change that, I am telling her to buy me bottles of water…I have been telling my mom to do what I tell her that has to do with healthier stuff and she has been doing good…now, she only drinks those healthy fruit drinks and homemade smoothies and water. – Louisa, 5th grade girl

A recent study in the journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, by Program in Nutrition alumna Dr. Marissa Burgermaster et al., highlights that understanding the different ways students use what they have learned through nutrition education can help educators tailor lessons to meet kids where they’re at, instead of expecting that they are all coming with the same set of lived experiences. These findings may help make obesity prevention programs more effective.

Dr. Burgermaster interviewed a group of students in New York City who all participated in the Food, Health and Choices curriculum. By analyzing what the students said and showed through photos they had taken, four types of student responses emerged:

• Activated: Students in the activated group were generally successful in their attempts to change their behaviors, and were largely internally motivated.  
• Inspired: Students in the inspired group wanted to change, but encountered a number of barriers including challenging environments and their preferences for certain foods and drinks.
• Reinforced: Students in the reinforced group were generally already practicing the target behaviors, with support and motivation from their families and others.
• Indifferent: Lastly, students in the indifferent group expressed little interest in changing their behavior and only made healthy choices when parents or others demanded it.

Why is this study important?

Teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of different students. If nutrition educators keep these four types of student responses in mind they may be more successful in supporting students to change their behaviors.

The study also emphasizes how students’ home and neighborhood environments can greatly impact whether or not they are able to follow the healthy behaviors they are learning about. This has important implications for policy and practice. We need to focus on policies that create supportive environments for healthy eating through access and affordability. On a practice level, educators should focus on engaging and supporting families alongside their students.