(P22-042-23) Evaluating the Impacts of Urban Land-Based Food Education for Indigenous Children and Youth in Southwestern Ontario, Canada: A Community-Based Study Protocol

Objectives: Land-based programs are growing across Canada as a culturally-relevant well-being initiative for Indigenous communities. However, few of these programs focus on food and nutrition-related skills, and fewer still take place in urban or southern communities. While many Indigenous communities have food literacy programs for children and youth, those reported in published literature are often school-based. To address these knowledge gaps, this study will evaluate two land-based programs with a significant food education component offered by an Indigenous organization within the city of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Guided by the interests of research collaborators, the objectives of this study are: 1) to develop a culturally-responsive definition of “food literacy” with urban Indigenous collaborators; 2) to explore the land-based food education experiences and food knowledge of child and youth program participants; and 3) to document and evaluate the processes and immediate outcomes of these programs for program stakeholders.

Methods: Two programs at different development stages will situate this study: 1) a mature summer youth internship program for participants aged 14-22, and 2) a new children’s program for participants aged 8-13. Working with program stakeholders, this study will use a participatory approach and qualitative evaluation methodology to capture the process of program implementation and the effects on program participants. Iterative sharing circles with program stakeholders (n=8) will contextually define food literacy and theorize how these programs operate. Arts-based methods will be used with Indigenous child and youth participants (n=25) to create visual images that will become the object of interviews to explore their program experiences. Data will be analyzed iteratively through an inductive-deductive approach.

Results: N/A

Conclusions: This study will generate information on whether land-based learning methods enhance food literacy among Indigenous children and youth. The findings will support understanding of the strengths and facilitators of land-based learning and how food education can be conceptualized in urban Indigenous contexts.

Funding Sources: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research