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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03872752

Development and Implementation of Food Literacy Workshops in the Community

Nutritional factors are responsible for 10% of the global health burden. In Israel, 31% of Jewish women and 52% of Arab women are obese. It is predicted that this generation will see increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreased life expectancy. Sustained lifestyle changes including small changes in nutrition behavior, can substantially reduce the risk of CVD.

Eating habits are affected by different abilities, circumstances, and skill sets, however, most nutrition programs focus on nutrition facts, and less on skills that can help translate knowledge to positive health behaviors and health outcomes. In the last decade a new field has emerged, Food literacy (FL), which acknowledges the importance of addressing skills such as nutrition knowledge, competencies, self-efficacy, literacy and health literacy, so as to enable positive change in nutrition behaviors. Food literacy, in summary, is the capability to make healthy food choices in different contexts, settings and situations.

The proposed program seeks to improve nutrition behaviors in disadvantaged communities via a train-the-trainers program, that will provide community leaders with the tools necessary to disseminate FL skills through the framework of existing community social-structures.

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Key information

Conditions

Lifestyle Risk Reduction Behavior Behavior, Animal Feeding Behavior Food Habits Health Behavior Risk Reduction Behavior

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Hadassah Medical Organization, Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem, 91120, Israel

About this study

Nutritional factors are responsible for 10% of the global health burden. In Israel, 31% of Jewish women and 52% of Arab women are obese. Diabetes rates are rising in accordance with the rise in obesity. Because of these factors, it is predicted that this generation will see increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreased life expectancy. Sustained lifestyle changes including small changes in nutrition behavior, can substantially reduce the risk of CVD.

Eating habits are affected by different abilities, circumstances, and skill sets, however, most nutrition programs focus on nutrition facts, and less on skills that can help translate knowledge to positive health behaviors and health outcomes. In the last decade a new field has emerged, Food literacy (FL), which acknowledges the importance of addressing skills such as nutrition knowledge, competencies, self-efficacy, literacy and health literacy, so as to enable positive change in nutrition behaviors. FL, in summary, is the capability to make healthy food choices in different contexts, settings and situations.

The proposed program seeks to improve nutrition behaviors in disadvantaged communities via a train-the-trainers program, that will provide community leaders with the tools necessary to disseminate food literacy skills through the framework of existing community social-structures.

In stage I of the study, community lay leaders from pre-existing community frameworks of Hebrew speaking communities and Arab lay leaders from East Jerusalem will undergo training in a manualized program that enables lay leaders to effectively disseminate FL skills through engaging visual and game-based tools. In stage II the lay leaders will implement the program in their communities.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Women who are recognized leaders in the community will be included in training courses
  • Participants for the Arab training program must speak and read Arabic
  • Participants for the Hebrew-speaking training program must speak and read Hebrew

Exclusion criteria

  • women who do not meet leadership criteria will be considered for training

Treatment and study plan

FL lay leader training and workshop implementation

Behavioral

Intervention components will include a training course for community lay leaders, enabling them to acquire the skills to lead food literacy workshops. This includes raising their knowledge about nutrition recommendations and food labels, raisin self efficacy, and improving nutrition related organization and preparation skills.

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility of lay-led workshops assessed by attendance rates

    Time frame: Throughout workshops, taking place throughout one year

    Attendance is monitored to calculate proportion of attendance of participants.

  2. Feasibility of lay-led workshops assessed by number of implemented workshops by lay-leaders

    Time frame: six months after last workshop session

    Percentage of training course graduates who facilitated at least one workshop in the community within six months

  3. Compliance with research assessed by completed surveys

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Percentage of women who completed both baseline and post survey out of all participants

  4. Proportion of participants who accept lay-led workshops, assessed by feedback forms

    Time frame: Last session of each workshop (workshops take place throughout one year)

    Workshop participants complete feedback forms self reporting on acceptability of duration and appropriateness of workshop content on a 1-5 Likert scale. Acceptability will include those who answered 4-5 on the Likert scale.

  5. Proportion of participants satisfied with lay-led workshops, assessed by feedback forms

    Time frame: Last session of each workshop, (workshops take place throughout one year)

    Workshop participants complete feedback forms self reporting on overall satisfaction, satisfaction of workshop methods and satisfaction with facilitator on a 1-5 Likert scale. Satisfaction will include those who answered 4-5 on the Likert scale.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in the level of food literacy

    Time frame: At baseline and three months after intervention

    Level of food literacy will be assessed by using a food literacy self report scale based on Poelman's Self-Perceived Food Literacy (SPFL) questionnaire, including 23 questions, score ranging between 23-65, the higher the score the higher the food literacy level.

  2. Change in lay leaders' Self Efficacy: self report questionnaire

    Time frame: At baseline and three months after intervention

    Self Efficacy will be assessed through self report questionnaires (4 questions, 1-5 Likert scale), assessing participants self-efficacy in facilitating the food literacy material to target populations among trainers. The higher the average, the higher the self-efficacy.

  3. Change in Mediterranean Diet adherence

    Time frame: At baseline and three months after intervention

    Women complete a validated self report survey, the Israel-Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (I-MEDAS) reporting on their adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, including consumption of sweets, sweet beverages, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. The scale ranges between 1-17, the higher the score the higher the adherence.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hadassah Medical Organization

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Mar 13, 2019
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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