Eat Better, Feel Better Project: Overview

Briefing Paper [PDF]

T.T. Minor Elementary in Seattle, Washington implemented a school-based nutrition intervention as part of Healthy Eating by Design (HEBD), a national initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Eat Better, Feel Better Project, attempts to positively influence the food environment for school-aged children and their families through inclusion of a project dietitian, incorporation of a salad bar in the lunchroom, nutrition curricula for students and teachers, family nights, cooking demonstrations and the construction of a school garden. In addition, T.T. Minor Elementary was selected as one of twenty-five schools across Washington to receive free fruits and vegetables for snacks from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetables program.

In order to direct future policy development and encourage continued funding for such programs, evaluation of the Eat Better, Feel Better Project and the USDA's Fresh Fruit and Vegetables program was conducted at two elementary schools in Seattle. The evaluation process included key informant interviews of teachers, staff and parents and guardians at T.T. Minor Elementary. In addition, student-based evaluations in the form of student surveys and lunchroom observations were conducted at T.T. Minor and Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK). MLK Elementary school, a school with similar demographics to T.T. Minor served as a control school.