Browsing by Author "Landolfi, Kara"

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Evaluation of the Impact of Food Insecurity Education
(2013-03) Landolfi, Kara; Harmon, Alison H.
There seems to be a general awareness that in today’s world not everyone always has enough to eat, yet a lack of specific knowledge about what is termed food insecurity often arises. Food insecurity means not having reliable access to sufficient amounts of nutritious food through normal access channels to lead an active and healthy life. Professor Alison Harmon developed an educational experience where pre-health professionals can get a taste of food insecurity by limiting student’s food expenses to $3 per day, or $15 over five days. From journals completed daily, qualitative data was sorted to characterize strategies related to maximizing one’s budget, food choices and overall diet quality; physical, emotional, and mental consequences during the exercise; insights and observations of the participants, participant feelings about completing an application for food assistance and visiting a food bank, and participant predictions related to how the experience would benefit them in their professional practice. Implications of this research are intended to assist educators in creating student experience that foster empathy and understanding about food insecurity issues. A simulated food insecurity experience can be useful in increasing competence for health professionals working with limited resource clients.
Food Insecurity Experience: Building Empathy in Future Food and Nutrition Professionals
(2016-12) Harmon, Alison H.; Landolfi, Kara; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Hansen, Leanna; Iverson, Laura; Anacker, Melody
OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in empathy in students completing a food insecurity experience. DESIGN: Mixed methods; quantitative data from survey in years 1 and 2; qualitative data extracted from students' workbooks in years 2-5. This study was conducted over 10weeks annually for 5years. SETTING: Northwest US land-grant university. PARTICIPANTS: Students enrolled in a community nutrition course who chose to complete the food insecurity exercise. Total included 58 students in quantitative analysis in years 1 and 2 and 119 in qualitative analysis, years 2-5. INTERVENTION(S): The intervention was a food insecurity experience in which participants spent no more than $3/d on food for 5days ($15 total) while striving for a nutritious diet and reflecting on their experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Empathy scores measured by Likert scales; participant responses and reflections recorded in workbook journals. ANALYSIS: Comparison of means across time using paired t tests (P<.05); coding and sorting themes from workbook journals. RESULTS: Quantitative findings indicated that both classroom content and experiential exercises were important for enhancing empathy about food insecurity. Empathy scores increased from time I to time II and from time I to time III. Qualitative reflections among participants included terms such as guilt, empathy, compassion, and raised consciousness about food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Experiential and transformational learning to develop empathy can take place in a 5-day food insecurity experience during a typical university-level community nutrition course. This intervention can be tested for applications in other contexts.
Food Insecurity Experience: Building Empathy in Future Food and Nutrition Professionals
(Elsevier, 2017-03) Harmon, Alison; Landolfi, Kara; Shanks, Carmen Byker; Hansen, Leanna; Iverson, Laura; Anacker, Melody
OBJECTIVE To assess changes in empathy in students completing a food insecurity experience. DESIGN Mixed methods; quantitative data from survey in years 1 and 2; qualitative data extracted from students\' workbooks in years 2-5. This study was conducted over 10 weeks annually for 5 years. SETTING Northwest US land-grant university. PARTICIPANTS Students enrolled in a community nutrition course who chose to complete the food insecurity exercise. Total included 58 students in quantitative analysis in years 1 and 2 and 119 in qualitative analysis, years 2-5. INTERVENTION(S) The intervention was a food insecurity experience in which participants spent no more than $3/d on food for 5 days ($15 total) while striving for a nutritious diet and reflecting on their experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Empathy scores measured by Likert scales; participant responses and reflections recorded in workbook journals. ANALYSIS Comparison of means across time using paired t tests (P < .05); coding and sorting themes from workbook journals. RESULTS Quantitative findings indicated that both classroom content and experiential exercises were important for enhancing empathy about food insecurity. Empathy scores increased from time I to time II and from time I to time III. Qualitative reflections among participants included terms such as guilt, empathy, compassion, and raised consciousness about food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Experiential and transformational learning to develop empathy can take place in a 5-day food insecurity experience during a typical university-level community nutrition course. This intervention can be tested for applications in other contexts.
Food Insecurity Experience: Building Empathy in Future Food and Nutrition Professionals
(2017-03) Harmon, Alison H.; Landolfi, Kara; Byker Shanks, Carmen; Hansen, Leanna; Iverson, Laura; Anacker, Melody
OBJECTIVE To assess changes in empathy in students completing a food insecurity experience. DESIGN Mixed methods; quantitative data from survey in years 1 and 2; qualitative data extracted from students\' workbooks in years 2-5. This study was conducted over 10 weeks annually for 5 years. SETTING Northwest US land-grant university. PARTICIPANTS Students enrolled in a community nutrition course who chose to complete the food insecurity exercise. Total included 58 students in quantitative analysis in years 1 and 2 and 119 in qualitative analysis, years 2-5. INTERVENTION(S) The intervention was a food insecurity experience in which participants spent no more than $3/d on food for 5 days ($15 total) while striving for a nutritious diet and reflecting on their experience. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Empathy scores measured by Likert scales; participant responses and reflections recorded in workbook journals. ANALYSIS Comparison of means across time using paired t tests (P < .05); coding and sorting themes from workbook journals. RESULTS Quantitative findings indicated that both classroom content and experiential exercises were important for enhancing empathy about food insecurity. Empathy scores increased from time I to time II and from time I to time III. Qualitative reflections among participants included terms such as guilt, empathy, compassion, and raised consciousness about food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Experiential and transformational learning to develop empathy can take place in a 5-day food insecurity experience during a typical university-level community nutrition course. This intervention can be tested for applications in other contexts.