Energy Balance for Kids Photovoice project: A representation of low-income elementary-school student's food and physical activity environment

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation’s Energy Balance for Kids Program (EB4K) is a multicomponent elementary school-based program designed to improve school and home environments to support healthy dietary behaviors and increase safe and active physical activity opportunities. EB4K features a Registered Dietitian Coach who works with community organizations, teachers, students, food service staff, and parents to delivery the EB4K nutrition education curriculum and accompanying experiential food and physically activities. An EB4K team focuses on the improving the cafeteria offerings and policies.  For the past seven years, EB4K has been implemented in several different, underserved schools across the country (i.e., Missouri, Kansas, and California). In 2014, a Photovoice project was launched in two low-income, urban, EB4K schools in North California. The purpose of this Photovoice project was to identify the changes that had been made in the students’ food and physical activity environments and that need to be made to support healthier dietary and physical activity behaviors in the school, at home and in the local community.  Students, teachers, parents and key community members were trained on photography skills and Photovoice ethics and safety. The group came back together after photographing to discuss the photographs and identify the photographs that most accurately reflect the EB4K school, community and home food and physical activity environments’ assets and needs. During this session, Dr. Katie Brown will provide an overview and history of EB4K and share the photos and accompanying narratives, which were created during the 2014 EB4K Photovoice process.