The activity program Food Jungle and its impact on food and meals at SFOs

Activity programs like the Food Jungle appears to enhance attention to various aspects of healthy and sustainable diets in after-school programs and promote increased involvement of the children.

Background: After-school programs present significant potential as platforms for promoting healthy and sustainable food habits among children. However, these programs exhibit considerable variation in quality, content, and staff competence. The 'Food Jungle' activity program, aimed at after-school programs in Norway, seeks to enhance children's understanding and awareness of food aligned with health and sustainability goals. The program comprises digital resources, monthly thematic content, activities, activity books- and materials. Additionally, digital courses are available for staff to enhance their knowledge and engagement in promoting healthy and sustainable food practices.

This study aimed to assess the impact of participation in the Food Jungle program on the focus on factors related to healthy and sustainable food habits in after-school programs, and subsequently, on children's engagement and awareness.

Methods: A multi-method approach was employed, consisting of a digital questionnaire administered to after-school program employees in Norway (n=168) and semi-structured focus group interviews with children from four different schools. Interviews were conducted both before and after program implementation.

Results: The majority of participating employees reported an increased focus on fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, food waste, and seasonal food following their involvement in the Food Jungle program. Furthermore, employees noted improved efforts to involve children in food preparation and related activities. Word frequency analysis revealed that children mentioned a higher number, as well as a wider variety, of fruits and vegetables after experiencing the Food Jungle program.

Conclusions: Implementation of activity programs like the Food Jungle in Norwegian after-school programs appears to enhance attention to various aspects of healthy and sustainable diets and promote increased involvement of children in food-related activities.