Simply Cent$ible Nutrition

University of Wyoming Extension

Overview

Simply Cent$ible Nutrition is an adult direct education intervention designed to help individuals and families with limited resources shop, cook, and eat healthier on a budget. Nutrition educators teach the 8-lesson hands-on series. Each lesson includes cooking a new recipe, physical activities, and interactive activities that help participants build skills and knowledge related to eating healthy, physical activity, food resource management, and food safety. Lessons are based on MyPlate and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time, Other: Food Safety

Intervention Type: Direct Education

Intervention Reach and Adoption

Simply Cent$ible Nutrition targets adults with limited resources. The curriculum is designed to be adaptable for cultural relevancy and to accommodate varying physical abilities of participants. The curriculum includes clear lesson outlines for paraprofessionals to promote program fidelity.  

Setting: Community

Target Audience: High school, Adults, Older Adults, Parents/Mothers/Fathers, Homeless/Food Pantry Clients

Race/Ethnicity: All, Hispanic/Latino Americans, White, not of Hispanic or Latino origin 

Intervention Components

This intervention consists of 8 lessons intended to be delivered weekly, with pre- and post- surveys delivered before and after the series. Adaptations to the curriculum should be taken from program recommendations. The curriculum is designed to provide all information necessary for implementation including detailed outlines for each lesson. Suggested resources, an additional background section for each lesson, and references are provided, if more information or training is necessary. 

Intervention Materials

The curriculum utilizes many support materials to create hands-on and interactive lessons for the participants. The materials include: 

  • Curriculum binder 
    • 8 detailed lesson outlines including recipes and physical activities 
  • Teaching materials 
    • Welcome folders, questionnaires, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, posters, recipes for cooking activities, kitchen tools, activity cards 
  • Participant materials 
    • Simply Cent$ible Nutrition cookbook, kitchen tools, menu planner, expense tracker envelope, and physical activity tools 
  • Marketing materials 
    • Flyers 

Intervention Costs

Cost of printing and compilation of materials up to $111. See https://uwyocnp.org/simply-centible-nutrition-curriculum/ for more information and for possible discounts.

Evidence Summary

According to the 2015 evaluation report:

  • Families who participated in CNP in 2015 saved an average of $44.50 per month or $534.00 per year on groceries.
  • 91% of adults who participated in CNP showed improvement in one ore more of the following nutrition practices:
    • Reading nutrition labels
    • Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
    • Decreasing soda intake
    • Increasing physical activity
  • 83% of adults who participated in CNP improved in one or more of the following food resource management practices
    • Making food from scratch
    • Using a grocery list
    • Planning meals
    • Comparing prices
    • Running out of food less often
  • 63% of adults improved in one or more of the following food safety practices
    • Thawing foods safely
    • Washing hands correctly
    • Preventing cross-contamination
  • Kindergarten and first grade students improved in the following areas:
    • 81% improved their intake of healthy foods
    • 67% improved their food safety practices
    • 29% improved their physical activity
  • Second, third, and fourth grade students improved in the following areas:
    • 85% improved their intake of healthy foods
    • 36% improved their food safety practices
    • 36% improved their physical activity
  • Fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students improved in the following areas:
    • 91% improved their intake of healthy foods
    • 64% improved their food safety practices
    • 64% improved their physical activity

For more information, visit: https://issuu.com/cnp_newsletters/docs/highlight_report_2015

Classification: Practice-tested

Evaluation Indicators

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.

Readiness and Capacity – Short Term (ST) Changes – Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance – Long Term (LT) Population Results (R)
Individual ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4 MT1, MT2, MT3, MT4 LT1, LT2, LT3, LT4
Environmental Settings
Sectors of Influence

Evaluation Materials

Currently, no evaluation tools or materials are publicly available.

Additional Information

Website: The website (https://uwyocnp.org/simply-centible-nutrition-curriculum/) includes a detailed description of intervention materials, successes, and ordering information.  

General Contact Information:

Kira Winters

Program Coordinator Senior

Wyoming SNAP-Ed/Cent$ible Nutrition Program State Office

Phone: 307-766-5375

Email: cnp-info@uwyo.edu

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