Presenter
Vanessa Mello
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2026
Abstract
With my intervention, I hope to address the high rate of food insecurity amongst households with children (keiki) in Hawai`i. The target population are Native Hawaiians and marginalized communities that have long-term risk of developing CVD, hypertension, and T2DM (Hawaii Foodbank, 2024). This program will be an extension of the Food 4 Keiki program that distributes food to this population; however, with my program addition, it will promote self-efficacy by hosting community cooking classes and nutrition education events. This intervention incorporates elements of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to encourage observational learning that reflects these families’ social and community needs. SCT’s central philosophy revolves around reciprocal determinism, which emphasizes that people are impacted by observing the actions of others (Barth, 2021). Similar to SCT, the complex issue of food insecurity includes personal, environmental, and social influences and interactions. In addition to distributing food as a short term solution, we can use the fact that children are very impressionable and learn from adults around them to our advantage to foster a community that promotes healthy habits and behavior change. This includes my proposed intervention of community cooking classes, exchanging low-cost recipes, and creating support groups for families disproportionately impacted by food insecurity.
Faculty Mentor
Nader Hamdi Ph.D., RDN, LDN
Academic Discipline
College of Health & Wellness
Repository Citation
Mello, Vanessa, "Community Intervention: Cooking and Nutrition Education" (2026). Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium. 336.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/innov_symposium/336
