Those of us who work in the field developing programmatic nutrition education strategies are no less eager than our academic colleagues to see evidence-based approaches for child overweight prevention. Nonetheless, we often lack the financial resources to properly evaluate and publish promising approaches. Consequently, it was with great interest that I listened closely as Marsha J. Spense presented at the 2005 APHA Annual Meeting on her research to address quality of the foods available in Tennessee public schools, “Using Photovoice to Assess the School Nutrition Environment.”
Marsha detailed the use of Photovoice by a group of adult leaders representing all the stakeholders across the school community (teachers, administrators, parents, fitness staff and school food service). The photos were categorized and presented by the team members who took the photos, and depicted all manner of ways in which food was available at school, including fundraisers, school celebrations, birthdays, etc.
The photo of a teachers’ lounge depicting several different drink cups from several different fast food restaurants said it all. No adult could view that photo and not conclude there was a problem with modeling to children about healthy eating at that school. In fact, as the study results bore out, Photovoice was a powerful tool in the school environment to help develop consensus within the school community – especially among parents – about the nutritional issues, and to help identify priorities and develop the necessary ‘buy-in’ to create change.
As I sat in the session, the program developer inside me was chomping at the bit to apply this research in the field. After all, in September the following year, schools would be required to have their School Wellness Policies in place; what a great tool this could prove to be to assist with critical buy-in across school communities to implement and enforce the new policies.
I contacted Marsha Spense after conference, and she could not have been more delighted to learn that my organization, FamilyCook Productions, wished to gain her permission and assistance to make her research methodologies accessible to schools. With Marsha’s assistance, we set about developing an ‘electronic toolkit’ that described the evidence-based processes in an easy to follow, step-by-step format, for free download off our website. Since November 2006, thousands of schools across the US have downloaded the tool and the feedback is encouraging (we hope to present more research on its use at our 2008 meeting). In fact, the tool includes a parallel activity with students taking photos and presenting their findings to their peers at a school assembly.
Clearly, the best outcomes of our Section’s scientific research sessions would be to inform practice by promising research. I personally look forward to more opportunities to put my colleagues’ breakthrough methodologies into user-friendly practice modules for the benefit of communities far and wide.