Bickford, Narelle (2025) The feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of Plate it Up®: the family focused food literacy intervention for children (8 -12 years) and their parent living in regional Victoria, Australia. Research Master thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

Background: The globalization of food systems and food corporations' marketing strategies have led to an unprecedented availability of foods that are ultra-processed. The shift in the food systems and the impact of the social determinants of health has also led to the inadequate intake of fruits, and vegetables. Lifelong dietary intake that consists of predominantly processed foods has health consequences in the form of a higher risk of dietary-related chronic disease. Food behaviours and dietary intake patterns are established in childhood and continue into adulthood. Improving parent's and children’s food literacy knowledge and skills is essential for dietary resilience to navigate complex food systems. Adequate levels of food knowledge, skills and behaviours support a holistic approach to food useful for navigating complex food systems. Food Literacy interventions that comprise the domains of: ‘Plan & Manage’, ‘Select’, ‘Prepare’ and ‘Eat’ are increasingly being developed and delivered. Community-based interventions provide positive outcomes that improve participants' food literacy, knowledge, skills and dietary intake. This thesis describes the development, feasibility and preliminary evaluation of a family-focused food literacy intervention. Delivered over four sessions, Plate it Up® educates children aged (8- 12 years) and their parent nutrition and food literacy. This thesis additionally investigates participants' barriers and enablers when applying food literacy education to select and eat nutritious food choices one month following the intervention. Methods: A mixed-method exploratory triangulation approach to the evaluation was conducted at three time points; baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention were assessed by reported acceptability and satisfaction. Baseline, post and follow up questionnaires evaluate the interventions outcome in terms of participants' knowledge and skills in food literacy and eating behaviours, using online questionnaires and in-person sorting tasks. Parent and child dyad interviews further explored participants' views of the intervention and participants barriers and enablers when wanting to select and eat nutritious foods. Results: All eight participants completed all sessions of Plate it Up®. Acceptability and satisfaction outcomes suggest that parents and children received the intervention well. The largest change in food literacy skills was observed in the food literacy domain ‘Prepare’, while small improvements in the domains ‘Select’ and ‘Eat’ were observed. Preliminary outcomes from baseline and post-intervention sorting tasks indicate that children had increased nutrition knowledge and an increased ability to identify healthier food and drink options. Interviews suggest that the marketing and sale of ultra-processed foods are prevalent in areas where families shop and play community sport. Conclusions: This novel food literacy intervention has been well received by families. There was rise in participants cooking confidence and children’s interest in cooking, indicating that food literacy skills in children can be developed through practical cooking. Despite improvements in participants food literacy the commercial and financial determinants of health continue to affect participants food choice. The Plate it Up® intervention has the potential to create a more mindful approach to food literacy behaviours in larger cohorts of parents and children.

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