Take a look at what NJHKI staff members are publishing and presenting.
Grow. Prepare. Eat: Lessons Learned From a Summer Virtual Food Literacy Program
NJHKI’s Dr. Erin Comollo and Dr. Peggy Policastro, along with Abigail Katelyn David, MPH, and Gabriela Harrison, BS, published their findings on a virtual food literacy program in the School Nutrition Association’s Spring 2024 issue of the Journal of Child Nutrition & Management.
The 91st Annual Meeting of The New Jersey Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
NJHKI Student Ambassadors Anjali Patel, Hannah Briggs, Helen Yanes, Jenna DeSimone, Rachel Ho, Alyssa Guidetti, Sheryn Jacinto, Holly Dorsett, and Lindsey Hardmeyer joined Dr. Peggy Policastro and Alison Brown in presenting abstracts at the 2024 New Jersey Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics conference.
Healthy helpers: using culinary lessons to improve children’s culinary literacy and self-efficacy to cook
In November 2023, Frontiers in Public Health published an article by NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro, Alison Brown, MS, RDN, & Dr. Erin Comollo documenting their research on the Healthy Helpers Culinary Literacy Program.
Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo 2023: FranklinFit Child Wellness Program
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro and and IFNH Ambassadors Hannah Briggs, Alyssa Guidetti, and Rachel Ho presented at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ FNCE 2023 in Denver, CO this past October. FranklinFit research was presented to show that a whole child wellness program through community policing and public health can be used as a platform to improve nutritional literacy for at-risk youth. Full abstract here.
People, Plants, and the Planet: Determinants of Food Choice and Factors Influencing How Adolescents Care for the Planet
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro and Dr. Sara Elnakib’s research examining the drivers of food choice among NJ 5th grade students was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The study’s findings can be viewed on the poster below.
Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo 2022: Healthy Helpers Virtual Culinary Literacy Program
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro and Alison Brown and NJHKI Ambassador Jenny Campbell presented at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ FNCE 2022 about the Healthy Helpers virtual culinary literacy program. The Healthy Helpers was a school-based virtual intervention, supported by evidence-based practices of how virtual culinary literacy programs can improve vegetable intake and dietary behaviors in fourth and fifth-grade children. The presentation included actionable steps nutrition and dietetics professionals can use to inform future culinary literacy-based programs. Vegetable intakes among children remain below recommended levels despite numerous nutrition-education-based interventions. Research has shown that children’s vegetable intake may be better influenced through experiential learning opportunities and skill development in lieu of traditional knowledge-based classes. This presentation explored current home cooking trends and research connecting culinary literacy to dietary behaviors and methods to promote culinary literacy in children in a virtual setting.
Check out the Healthy Helpers videos in English: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFBQqXFQtYt1CCWSraEHEBkoAwCyLFs5P and in Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFBQqXFQtYt3j9J3y9vYMZFR73f4DrjTm
Promoting Universal Free Breakfast and Lunch in Public Schools
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro and Dr. Erin Comollo authored an OpEd in which they discuss the importance of universal free breakfast and lunch programs in public schools. The full article can be accessed here.
The Impacts of Virtual School on Wellness
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro, Dr. Erin Comollo, and Faith Qualshie author an OpEd on the impacts of virtual school on child and adolescent wellness. Read the full piece here.
Importance of Breakfast for Childhood Nutrition
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro was quoted in Natural Awakening South Jersey on the importance of breakfast. The full article can be accessed here.
Food Literacy: Empowering Students to Live Empowered, Healthy Lives Webinar
NJHKI’s Dr. Erin Comollo and Dr. Peggy Policastro and MPH student Abigail David presented in a live webinar on the importance of understanding food literacy. The emerging framework of food literacy is a comprehensive concept including nutrition knowledge, culinary skills, and behavior change and has been demonstrated to improve nutritional intake and health outcomes (Amin et al., 2018, 2019; Muzaffar, Metcalfe & Fiese, 2018). Food Literacy and Food Justice can be used as an experiential, multi-component approach to nutrition education that can improve learner knowledge, attitudes, and skills to create positive behavior change. These frameworks cover a wide range of content areas, learning standards, and 21st-century skills applicable to K-12 general education, health education, science, and social studies education teachers.
Check out the webinar recording: https://youtu.be/UX9pQLwuFxg
Cooking with Kids: Building Lifelong Culinary Literacy Webinar
Research shows by teaching kids to cook they shop differently, fill their plates differently, and consider their impact on the environment differently. However, for various reasons, children are often absent when the family meal is being prepared. One way to “get kids back in the kitchen” is to teach them basic culinary practices. Culinary literacy is the ability to prepare a meal or snack using commonly available foods and common pieces of kitchen equipment. It is having sufficient skills to experiment with food and ingredients. In this webinar, NJHKI team members, Dr. Erin Comollo, EdD and Dr. Peggy Policastro, PhD address best practices and resources available to develop a culinary literacy program in your school or organization.
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior 2019
NJHKI Program Administrator Dr. Erin Comollo, EdD presented at this years Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) on July 28, 2019 in Orlando, FL. Dr. Comollo presented NJHKI’s goals, objectives and most current activities. Below you can see the poster presented.
Nutrition and Oral Health
NJHKI Medical Director Dr. David Krol, MD, MPH, FAAP presented a grand rounds lecture to the Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Family Medicine and Community Health on June 11, 2019. Dr. Krol discussed various oral health issues throughout the lifespan, and discussed the role that nutrition plays in the development of tooth decay.
Cooking Basics & Kitchen Fundamentals Podcast
NJHKI’s Dr. Peggy Policastro, PhD was part of Produce for Kids program podcast discussing tips on cooking basics including how families can get started cooking at home, why cooking at home is so important and what basic skills to master. Listen to Peggy on the Healthy Family Project
Assessing College Students’ Health Perceptions of Fat in Meals
New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health Ambassadors Dana Ikeda, Megan Yuen and Chelsea Cotugno joined NJHKI team member Dr. Peggy Policastro, PhD in presenting an abstract at the 2018 Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo. The abstract was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Message Me Maybe: Caloric Labeling vs Calorie Saving Messages on Sandwiches
New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health Ambassadors Irene Dib, Carly Harris, and Sofia Zois joined NJHKI team member Dr. Peggy Policastro, PhD in presenting an abstract at the 2018 Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo. The abstract was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
