Traditional college nutrition programs focused on knowledge acquisition and nutrition assessment skills increased nutrition knowledge but did not change dietary behavior. Research has shown that knowledge and nutrition assessment skills should be supplemented with behavioral self-efficacy to prompt lifestyle change. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was used to study 138 students participating in weekly food challenges during a 15-week nutrition course designed to apply nutrition knowledge, develop self-efficacy and promote positive behavior change. Food challenges were implemented by a guided goal-setting strategy. Cooking videos, which modeled important nutrition-related skills, accompanied each challenge. Students independently selected 2-goal options to implement weekly and wrote a reflection about their experiences. Analyses showed significant increases in cognitive outcomes (produce consumption self-efficacy, cooking self-efficacy using fruit/vegetables) as well as self-efficacy and behavioral outcomes (fruit consumption, and vegetable consumption.) |