MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

Poster Session: Food/Nutrition Science; Education; Management; Food Services/Culinary; Research

Nutrition Integrity Statewide Assessment Program Model
Author(s): T. Carithers, Y. Chang, F. Chin; Nutrition and Hospitality
Management, University of Mississippi, University, MS
Learning Outcome: Participants will evaluate the potential for replication of a
program implemented in Mississippi to improve the nutrition integrity of
school nutrition environments with use of strategic partnerships and
equipment funding mechanisms.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports the position that schools
and communities share in the responsibility of providing healthy food and
beverage to children. A program model used to produce positive change in
school nutrition environments will be presented. Beginning in 2003, strategic
grants were used to provide technical and nancial assistance through
competitive grants to schools wanting to replace their fryers with combioven steamers to help them comply with state and federal nutrition
standards. Early outcome assessment showed that combi-oven steamers
signicantly reduced fried foods in school menus and improved the nutritional composition of menu offerings. Initial competitive grants, success
stories and collaborative support by state level administration served as a
catalyst stimulating i) expanded numbers of schools across the state who
chose to adopt no fried foods policies, ii) schools not receiving grants to nd
creative funding sources for combi-oven steamers, and iii) schools to choose
other methods to not fry foods. This model could be used by other states to
impact healthy eating behaviors of children with changes in school nutrition
environments.
Funding Disclosure: Bower Foundation

Don't Be Gross! Development of Food Safety Video Snacks Viral Marketing Campaign for
Middle School Youth
Author(s): V. Quick1, R. Heller2, K. Corda2, J. Martin-Biggers2, D. Schaffner3, J. Gleason4,
B. Chamberlin4, C. Byrd-Bredbenner2; 1Prevention Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development/National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, MD, 2Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 3Food
Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 4Media Productions, New Mexico State
University, Las Cruces, NM
Learning Outcome: To describe the development and formative evaluation of a computerbased viral marketing campaign called Don't Be Gross designed to shift food safety social
norms of middle school youth.
Peer social networks have the potential to shift health behaviors, yet are underutilized in food
safety education. The importance of social networks during adolescence coupled with
increasing food preparation responsibilities of teens indicates an opportunity to shift food
handling behaviors using social networks. This project developed a series of 'video snacks'
(short, animated videos, intended for Internet delivery, that use strategies designed to shift
social norms). A community-based participatory approach that included middle school youth
and teachers/administrators, food safety educators, and software design/technology experts
was used throughout the design process. Development began by identifying problematic food
handling behaviors of middle schoolers (e.g., low hand washing rates, beverage cup/bottle
sharing) and brainstorming potential storylines to address behaviors and shift social norms.
Eight video snacks were developed and given a unied identity (i.e., complementary art,
music, voice over, typographical elements) and theme (i.e., Don't Be Gross). Formative
testing of the videos was conducted throughout the design process in 2 states using myriad
methods (e.g., focus groups, interviews, blogs, closet confessionals, observations). Qualitative evaluation of the videos by 44 youth revealed that they found the videos enjoyable, funny,
interesting, and attention grabbing. They agreed they would share the videos with peers.
Middle school teachers/administrators (n36) felt the videos would resonate with youth and
had the potential to shift social norms. Google-analytic data from a controlled trial in 19
secondary schools indicate that youth did seek and share the video snacks with peers. Food
safety video snacks may have the potential to shift food safety social norms in youth.
Funding Disclosure: Research supported by the USDA, National Food Safety Initiative, and in
part by the intramural research program of National Institutes of Health (NIH), Eunice
Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Food Safety Knowledge and Behaviors of Students Living in University Housing

Author(s): K. Beard, A.R. Shows, C.S. Ruiz, M.J. Dahm; Family and Consumer
Sciences, Lamar Univ., Beaumont, TX
Learning Outcome: Participants will identify food safety education needs of
college students living in university housing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2009),
approximately one of six Americans annually suffers from foodborne illness.
Few researchers have studied food safety among college students living in
university housing. We examined food safety knowledge and behaviors of
dormitory students in Southeast Texas. The self-report survey instrument
was adapted from Unklesbay, Sneed, and Toma (1998). Students responded
on a Likert scale to items describing food safety behaviors. Food safety
knowledge was measured with a true/false test. Participants were recruited
by direct solicitation in the dormitories. Data collection took place over one
week. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to
detect differences in behavior scores and knowledge scores based on gender,
age, ethnicity, student classication, and previous training in food safety. The
average age of the 164 participants was 19.5
3.2. Analysis indicated that
food safety knowledge and behaviors were unrelated to demographic variables or previous exposure to food safety training. Notable responses to food
behavior items included: failure to refrigerate leftovers in a timely manner
(24%; n9), consuming raw fruits and vegetables without washing them
(70%, n111), failure to heat leftovers to a safe temperature (42%, n67),
failure to check refrigerator/freezer temperatures (63%; n101), failure to
wash hands before food preparation (15%; n24), and eating food from a
damaged can (67%, n107). Future research on this topic could benet from
focus on the effects of education interventions on food safety behaviors and
knowledge of college students living in university dormitories.
Funding Disclosure: None

Assessing College Students' Awareness of Food Safety Precautions Taken by

Their University's Dining Services
Author(s): N. Corres, A. Essenfeld, S. Khan, M. Schlitt, P. Policastro; Rutgers, The
State Univ. of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
Learning Outcome: To examine and research students' awareness of food
safety precautions taken by their university's dining services.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines include food safety as a key recommendation for
healthy eating patterns. Misinformation regarding university dining food
safety practices often circulates amongst students, causing mistrust in the
dining halls with students turning to fast or processed foods instead of fresh,
nutritious products prepared in-house. Research was conducted to determine
if students at a large university were aware of the food safety precautions
taken by their university's dining services. A convenience random sample
of students (n103) in university dining halls completed a ten item oral
questionnaire with the assistance of a trained interviewer. The survey
included questions related to hand washing, temperature control, leftovers,
foodborne illness control, as well as food safety monitoring and training.
Using frequency analysis from SPSS, results suggest students are unaware of
temperature control and leftover safety measures taken to prevent foodborne
illness. Of the participates questioned, 63.1% incorrectly answered a question
regarding the frequency of refrigerator and freezer temperature control
and only 33% responded correctly to how often dining employees test the
temperature of foods on the service line. In addition, just over half of the
students (54%) were aware of the policy in place regarding leftover food.
Weaknesses in student awareness in these categories may be due to dining
service's lack of advertisement of specic food safety measures. Educational
messages should be implemented to better inform students of food safety
measures. This could lead to improved trust and encourage healthy eating
patterns in dining halls versus relying on fast and processed foods.
Funding Disclosure: None

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JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

September 2013 Suppl 3Abstracts Volume 113 Number 9