SBIR-STTR Award

The "KickinKitchen.TV" project combines: technology, education and research strategies to address the USDA challenge area of improving nutritional health and reducing childhood obesity. This study involves the following partners: racially diverse, urban public schools, KidsCOOK Productions, an independent production company committed to addressing childhood obesity risk through its digital educational programming, and university researchers with expertise in school-based nutrition research. We will create and test an innovative, digital and video streaming nutrition education curriculum called, "KickinKitchen.TV." KickinKitchen.TV will consist of digital webisodes that will be used to teach nutrition concepts and food preparation skills to pre-teens, along with companion lesson plans that extend learning through hands-on activities in the classroom. Our curriculum will be based on the principles of the USDA Dietary Guidelines and will be tested in public middle schools, integrated into an existing physical activity curriculum serving middle school students. Selected schools will receive the digital curriculum; comparison schools will receive a traditional curriculum of identical content but lacking digital media. We will assess the feasibility of the digital curriculum using focus groups and qualitative research methods, and program effectiveness using surveys, pre- and post-tests of nutrition knowledge, eating competence, and intention to change food-related behaviors. Our hypothesis that these outcomes will increase to a greater extent among students exposed to KickinKitchen.TV compared to those in comparison schools. This project supports a premise that digital-age kids who are facile users of technology will acquire and retain a higher level of nutritional literacy when interacting with digital educational content versus interacting with "flat" traditional curricula that do not use digital technology for teaching. Our research plan will demonstrate proof of concept for a marketable program that has nationwide dissemination potential given its use of engaging technology that will appeal to teachers and students.

This project combines digital technology, nutrition education and research strategies to address the USDA challenge area of improving nutritional health and reducing childhood obesity. This study involves partnerships with several public school districts, KidsCOOK Productions, and university researchers with expertise in school-based nutrition education and research. This project will create, test, and commercialize the Comprehensive KickinKitchen.TV Educational Bundle (KKTV-EDU), an innovative, digital learning interactive educational program on nutrition, cooking and active lifestyles. Designed for students ages 10-14, KKTV-EDU is expected to increase awareness, knowledge and skills related to healthy eating habits and sustainable changes in personal behaviors that will lower risk factors for childhood obesity. KKTV-EDU will consist of six digital webisodes and companion videos that will engage students and teach nutrition concepts and healthy cooking skills. Complete with an interactive website, food demo videos, peer education segments, and a curriculum binder of resources and lesson plans, learning is extended through hands-on activities in the classroom, computer lab, and at home. Randomly selected middle-school classrooms will receive the digital KKTV-EDU; others will receive a traditional curriculum of identical content but lacking digital media. This Phase II project will assess the feasibility of the digital curriculum using qualitative research methods, and program effectiveness using surveys of nutrition knowledge, personal behaviors, and intent to change food-related behaviors. The evaluation research will demonstrate the effectiveness of a marketable curriculum bundle that will have tremendously widespread dissemination potential through school communities, households, and professional partners nationwide because of its use of digital media involving an interactive and educational internet site integrated within a comprehensive curriculum bundle. The KKTV educational bundle will be commercialized to provide an interactive, technology-based solution to the many challenges of delivering effective nutrition education to middle school students, including those at highest risk for poor health and childhood obesity.