New Jersey Leaves No Bite Behind: A Climate Change and Food Waste Curriculum Intervention for Adolescents in the United States

TY - JOUR

T1 - New Jersey Leaves No Bite Behind

T2 - A Climate Change and Food Waste Curriculum Intervention for Adolescents in the United States

AU - Elnakib, Sara

AU - Subhit, Sabrina

AU - Shukaitis, Jennifer

AU - Rowe, Amy

AU - Cava, Jeanine

AU - Quick, Virginia

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.

PY - 2024/4

Y1 - 2024/4

N2 - Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. Schools offer a unique opportunity to educate on this issue while also reducing food waste generation; however, few climate-change education curricula that include a food waste component have been developed and tested with fidelity. Thus, the purpose of this cluster randomized controlled study was to assess the effectiveness of a climate change and food waste education program called NJ Leaves No Bite Behind (NJLNBB) among fifth-grade students. Lessons on food waste and sustainable food behaviors were developed that aligned with NJ Student Learning Standards for Climate Change and Next-Generation Science Standards. Participants (n = 162) completed pre- and post-test surveys that assessed knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors. Post-test, the experimental group (n = 102) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean scores in knowledge, social norms, behavioral intentions, and perceived behavioral control compared to the control group (n = 60), with medium effect sizes, as determined by partial eta-squared. There were no significant between-group differences in mean score attitudes, self-efficacy, motivation to comply, or climate-friendly behaviors post-test. Almost three-quarters of participants who received the program agreed or strongly agreed the lessons were fun (75.5%), liked the card games (72.5), and learned a lot (78.4%). These findings are promising in terms of teaching adolescents the impacts of food waste on the climate.

AB - Food waste is a major contributor to climate change. Schools offer a unique opportunity to educate on this issue while also reducing food waste generation; however, few climate-change education curricula that include a food waste component have been developed and tested with fidelity. Thus, the purpose of this cluster randomized controlled study was to assess the effectiveness of a climate change and food waste education program called NJ Leaves No Bite Behind (NJLNBB) among fifth-grade students. Lessons on food waste and sustainable food behaviors were developed that aligned with NJ Student Learning Standards for Climate Change and Next-Generation Science Standards. Participants (n = 162) completed pre- and post-test surveys that assessed knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors. Post-test, the experimental group (n = 102) had significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean scores in knowledge, social norms, behavioral intentions, and perceived behavioral control compared to the control group (n = 60), with medium effect sizes, as determined by partial eta-squared. There were no significant between-group differences in mean score attitudes, self-efficacy, motivation to comply, or climate-friendly behaviors post-test. Almost three-quarters of participants who received the program agreed or strongly agreed the lessons were fun (75.5%), liked the card games (72.5), and learned a lot (78.4%). These findings are promising in terms of teaching adolescents the impacts of food waste on the climate.

KW - adolescent education

KW - climate change curriculum

KW - climate change education

KW - food waste

KW - food waste reduction

KW - greenhouse gas

KW - science curriculum

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85191364992&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85191364992&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/ijerph21040437

DO - 10.3390/ijerph21040437

M3 - Article

C2 - 38673348

SN - 1661-7827

VL - 21

JO - International journal of environmental research and public health

JF - International journal of environmental research and public health

IS - 4

M1 - 437

ER -