Escribano, Carla
(2024)
Nourishing the Future: Staff Skill Development to Integrate Scratch Cooking in School Cafeterias.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Despite policy changes and guidelines within the school food environment, many U.S. youth continue to have poor diet quality. This dissertation aimed to implement a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to address the problem of the school lunch menu offerings, primarily consisting of pre-cooked and ready-to-eat foods. The intervention involved a single training session for five food service staff members from two elementary schools on preparing scratch meals. The goal was to provide two scratch meals per week for the first two weeks of a five-week rotational cycle on the lunch menu. Three inquiry questions guided the study: 1) How did integrating more scratch meals in the school lunch menu impact student meal participation? 2) How did participating in a brief training impact food service staff’s confidence and skills in preparing scratch meals? And 3) Post-implementation, what were staff perceptions of the initial training and implementation process to integrate more scratch meals on the menu? The study utilized pre- and post-school lunch meal sales data, surveys, and a focus group with food service staff. Meal sales data were analyzed for changes in student participation, while surveys assessed staff confidence. Focus group transcripts underwent qualitative analysis. Results showed mixed effects on meal sales, with some recipes maintaining sales while others decreased. Surveys indicated increased staff confidence in their scratch cooking skills post-training. However, staff described barriers such as time constraints and labor shortages in the focus group. Overall, preliminary support was found for integrating scratch meals into the menu without affecting student meal participation. Further research is needed to explore student and parent acceptance of new menu items. Comprehensive training and support mechanisms are vital for successful integration, considering barriers like union issues and financial constraints.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Escribano, Carla | cfe8@pitt.edu | cfe8 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
15 May 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
18 March 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
15 May 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
4 April 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
83 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Health and Physical Activity |
| Degree: |
EdD - Doctor of Education |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
School lunch
Scratch cooking
Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle
Diet quality
Food service staff
Meal participation
Training program
Meal sales data
Student nutrition
Dietary patterns
School food environment
Pre-cooked foods
Ready-to-eat foods
Staff confidence
Skill development
Implementation process
Qualitative analysis
Barriers
Sustainability
Policy changes
School Nutrition
Dietitian
processed foods
ready to eat
poor diet |
| Date Deposited: |
15 May 2024 19:45 |
| Last Modified: |
15 May 2024 19:51 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46018 |
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