WED-090 - Moving Beyond Knowledge Transfer to Conceptual Change: Lessons from Food Smarts Waste Reduction Kids

Brief Abstract Summary: Leah’s Pantry leverages strong partnerships and data to reframe nutrition education in community settings. The Food Smarts Waste Reduction Kids (FSWRK) curriculum, developed with county and community partners, engaged elementary-aged youth in San Diego and Fresno to explore food systems and their own conceptions of food waste. Grounded in conceptual change theory, FSWRK guided children from diffuse beliefs to concrete strategies like reusing leftovers, composting, and replanting. Results showed significant shifts in beliefs and attitudes, demonstrating how reframing youths’ notions of food security and waste reduction through conceptual change can strengthen resilience and self-efficacy while modeling equitable public health partnerships in underserved settings.

Detailed abstract description: Background/ Rationale
Leah’s Pantry is a trusted leader in community nutrition education and capacity building. Our practice model involves co-creating with public health agencies, schools, and community-based organizations, using rigorous evaluation to refine programs and demonstrate impact. This ensures that interventions are evidence-informed and responsive to community settings and local capacity.
One feature of our approach is the use of conceptual change as a framework for nutrition education. Rather than focusing solely on knowledge transfer, conceptual change helps learners reconsider intuitive, diffuse beliefs and reconstruct them into coherent, actionable strategies. By grounding nutrition education in conceptual change, programs can strengthens resilience and self-efficacy— critical in underserved communities and settings where systemic inequities shape health opportunities.
The FSWRK curriculum exemplifies this model. Developed with the San Mateo County Department of Public Health and piloted in partnership with schools and an affordable housing site, FSWRK demonstrates how public health partnerships can extend reach into diverse community contexts. The curriculum engages children in hands-on, developmentally appropriate lessons on food systems and waste reduction, with evaluation built in.
Purpose/ Methods
The pilot evaluation examined whether FSWRK could foster conceptual change in children’s understanding of food waste. Seven elementary classrooms (Grades 3–5, n = 124) and one affordable housing site (n = 3) implemented the five-lesson curriculum. Pre/post surveys measured three domains: knowledge and beliefs, values and attitudes, and food consumption behaviors. Data were analyzed using frequencies, crosstabs, and paired t-tests at the p < .05 level.
Results
Findings demonstrated meaningful conceptual shifts. At post-test, 48% of participants identified “using up leftovers by turning them into new dishes” as their main strategy for reducing waste (vs. 27% at pre-test). Composting and replanting also gained prominence (17% each). Attitudes improved significantly in reusing leftovers (p = .011), replanting foods (p = .004), and learning about resources needed to produce food (p = .017). While consumption behaviors showed no consistent gains and one decline in fruit intake (p = .023), results underscored that FSWRK supported resilience and agency by centering strategies children could enact themselves, rather than abstract or adult-dependent solutions.
Conclusions/ Implications
FSWRK illustrates Leah’s Pantry’s approach: leveraging evaluation data through partnership to inform practice, build capacity, and model equitable collaboration. By grounding nutrition education in conceptual change, the curriculum reframed food waste reduction as a set of tangible, youth-driven practices that promoted resilience and self-efficacy. This project offers a replicable model for integrating conceptual change into public health programming.