The impact of school-based cooking classes on vegetable intake, cooking skills and food literacy of children aged 4-12 years: A systematic review of the evidence 2001-2021.

BACKGROUND: Many children consume a poor quality diet with only a third of children aged 6-9 years eating vegetables daily. A high quality diet is important for good health in childhood; however, the prevalence of children living with obesity has doubled from 10% to 23% during primary school in the UK. Cooking lessons have the potential to improve diet quality and reduce obesity prevalence in childhood, both of which are associated with improved cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the impact of school-based cooking classes on cooking skills, food literacy and vegetable intake of children aged 4-12 years. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of OVID Medline, OVID Embase, EBSCO CINHAL and EBSCO ERIC for comparative studies that evaluated outcomes of children receiving cooking classes compared to a control group. Interventions included contained food preparation or a cooking activities and took place on school premises. Risk of bias was assessed using ROB2 and Robins-I. Outcomes were pooled in a meta-analysis using a random-effects model using standardised mean differences or reviewed using narrative synthesis. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE. RESULTS: We included 21 studies, (6 randomised). Meta-analysis showed a small positive effect on cooking self-efficacy of 0.39 units (95% CI 0.05 to 0.54), and a small positive effect on vegetable intake of 0.25 units (95% CI 0.05 to 0.45). Programmes with more than 6 h of cooking showed the greatest effects. CONCLUSIONS: Children's cooking programmes result in small improvements in cooking efficacy and vegetable intake, particularly those with more than 6 h of classes. It is recommended that future interventions use consistent measurement for children's food literacy and cooking confidence.

Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS) devices: A review.

Documenting anaerobic conditions is critical for understanding soil processes, identifying hydric soils, delineating wetlands, and managing aquatic resources. Several techniques exist to evaluate the oxidation-reduction status of soils including platinum electrodes, chemical dyes, and analyses of porewater chemistry. Since 2002, Indicator of Reduction in Soils (IRIS) devices have proven a novel, reliable, and cost-effective technique to document anaerobic conditions. This technology involves the application of redox active Fe or Mn oxide based paints onto a durable substrate (e.g., Polyvinyl Chloride pipes or plastic films) which are inserted into the soil. If anaerobic conditions occur during deployment, some or all of the redox active paint will be depleted from the IRIS device surface via chemical reduction and the extent of paint removal can be quantified using a number of approaches. Over the last two decades, IRIS technology has evolved to improve the identification of anaerobic conditions in soils and provide a proxy measure of multiple soil biogeochemical processes (e.g., denitrification, elemental sorption, iron sulfide formation). This review paper provides an overview of developments in IRIS instrumental design and interpretation of results, describes current IRIS applications and benefits, and identifies potential future areas of IRIS device research.

Evaluation of the PhunkyFoods intervention on food literacy and cooking skills of children aged 7-9 years: a cluster randomised controlled trial in Yorkshire Primary Schools UK.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity rates more than double during primary school in England. Acquiring competent cooking skills is a key part of children's education that can lead to improved knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and dietary behaviours. Evaluation of the impact of 'PhunkyFoods', a school-based food and nutrition education programme, will assess food literacy, cooking skills and dietary behaviour in primary-school children. METHODS: A cluster randomised controlled trial will be undertaken in 28 primary schools in North Yorkshire, UK, including a total population of children aged 7-9 years (n = 420). The trial has two arms: (a) the intervention group receiving PhunkyFoods programme (n = 210) and (b) the wait-list control group receiving the usual school curriculum (n = 210). The intervention 'PhunkyFoods' will be delivered by Purely Nutrition Ltd. The participating school staff are supported with training, policy development and access to resources to improve the delivery of nutrition education. Children participate through whole school assemblies, classroom activities, and after-school clubs about food preparation, cooking healthy meals and healthy living. Schools, parents and children have access to healthy meal recipes through the PhunkyFoods website. The primary outcomes are differences in food literacy and cooking skills scores between control and intervention arms after 12 months of the intervention and adjusted for baseline values. The secondary outcome is differences in fruit and vegetable intake between the arms after 12 months (adjusted for baseline). Treatment effects will be examined using mixed ANOVA and regression analysis. Primary analyses will adjust for baseline food literacy and cooking skills scores and secondary analysis will adjust for pre-specified baseline school and child level covariates. DISCUSSION: The PhunkyFoods programme is a flexible menu of options for schools to choose from, making this a highly complex intervention. Following Medical Research Council guidance, research perspectives will focus on effectiveness and theory-based approaches: to what extent the intervention produces the intended outcomes in real-world settings and what works in which circumstances. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN ISRCTN68114155 . Prospectively registered on 22 October 2021.

Spatial Gradients of Ecosystem Health Indicators across a Human-Impacted Semiarid Savanna.

Drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics involve a combination of edaphic, human, and climatic factors that influence and determine SOC distribution across the landscape. High-resolution maps of key indicators of ecosystem health can enable assessments of these drivers and aid in critical management decisions. This study used a systematic field-based approach coupled with statistical modeling and remote sensing to develop accurate, high-resolution maps of key indicators of ecosystem health across savanna ecosystems in South Africa. Two 100-km landscapes in Bushbuckridge Local Municipality were surveyed, and 320 composite topsoil samples were collected. Mid-infrared spectroscopy was used to predict soil properties, with good performance for all models and root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) values of 1.3, 0.2, 5, and 3.6 for SOC, pH, sand, and clay, respectively. Validation results for the mapping of soil erosion prevalence and herbaceous cover using RapidEye imagery at 5-m spatial resolution showed good model performance with area under the curve values of 0.80 and 0.86, respectively. The overall (out-of-bag) random forest model performance for mapping of soil properties, reported using , was 0.8, 0.77, and 0.82 for SOC, pH, and sand, respectively. Calibration model performance was good, with RMSEP values of 2.6 g kg for SOC, 0.2 for pH, and 6% for sand content. Strong gradients of increasing SOC and pH corresponded with decreasing sand content between the study sites. Although both sites had low SOC overall, important driving factors of SOC dynamics included soil texture, soil erosion prevalence, and climate. These data will inform strategic land management decisions focused particularly on improving ecosystem conditions.

Vocational thresholds: developing expertise without certainty in general practice medicine.

INTRODUCTION This paper argues that particular experiences in the workplace are more important than others and can lead to transformational learning. This may enable practitioners to cross 'vocational thresholds' to new ways of being. AIM A notion of 'vocational thresholds' is developed, aiming to help build an understanding of the most powerful learning experiences of general practitioners (GPs). Vocational thresholds takes its cue from the idea of 'threshold concepts' - concepts that transform perspectives and integrate previously disconnected or hidden knowledge, sometimes in ways that are 'troublesome' to previously held beliefs. METHODS The paper is based on a thematic analysis of 57 GPs' brief written accounts of a particularly powerful learning experience during their development. Accounts were provided in a conference session about an ongoing study of workplace-based structured learning arrangements in the fields of general practice medicine, engineering, and building. FINDINGS Most GPs' accounts focused on development of dispositional attributes that moved them to a new understanding of themselves in relation to their work and patients. Just under two-thirds picked out informal and formal collegial relationships within purposeful learning arrangements as pivotal. A third picked out direct experiences with patients as shifting their perspective. CONCLUSION The emergent idea of vocational thresholds is offered as a way to frame the most important learning experiences identified by GPs. It supports a focus in early and ongoing development beyond accumulating clinical expertise and skills (knowing and doing), to dispositional capability (being) - vital for practitioners negotiating inherent and daily uncertainty. KEYWORDS General practitioners; Medical education; Vocational education; Identity; Learning experiences; Threshold concepts.