MBurns ASaunders Week 6 Project EDAC 634
Names: Molly Burns and Abigail Saunders
Molly’s Roles: Title, goals, design
Abigail’s Roles: Learning objectives, rationales
Project Title: Debunking Nutrition Myths
Goals: The goal of this project is to discuss common nutrition myths and provide participants with tools to both identify nutrition misinformation and locate credible nutrition information.
Learning Objectives: In this course, there will be 4 modules that use Mezirow’s Psycho Critical Approach to transformational learning. The overall course objectives for participants to:
1. Understand what nutrition myths are and identify nutrition myths they have heard and may believe themselves.
2. Understand the negative impact nutrition myths can have on overall health and eating habits.
3. Be able to identify nutrition misinformation and learn about the credentials individuals should have in order to give nutrition information.
Rationales:
We framed our project around Mezirow’s Psycho Critical Approach to transformational learning. This approach focuses on past experiences and taking actions to change pre-existing perspectives and assumptions. Nutrition myths are extremely prevalent in our world today and these can unknowinlgy lead to unhealthy eating habits. Nutrition myths include thinking carbohydrates are unhealthy, you should not eat sugar, organic foods are healthier, etc. Mezirow’s psycho-critical approach to transformational learning has four components: experience, critical reflections, reflective discourse, and action.
· Experience: Adults have gained a vast amount of knowledge and experiences throughout their life that frame their habits and beliefs. Participants will participate in an icebreaker and will share nutrition myths they have heard before with other members of the group. A Registered Dietitian will also share their professional experience with nutrition myths and the impact it has had on individuals.
· Critical Reflection: The process of reflecting on experiences and why those experiences occurred is key to fully understanding how they may shape thoughts, feelings, or actions on certain topics. The participants will complete a survey created by a registered dietitian that will include questions about which non-evidence based sources they use and what credentials they look for when researching nutrition information. Participants will critically reflect on what sources they commonly use for nutrition information and what credentials, if any, they look for in people, websites, etc.,that provide nutrition information. This will allow participants to better understand why they may believe certain nutrition myths and where they are hearing them from. The participants will reflect on their survey results to attain a better understanding of where and who they are getting their nutrition information from.
· Reflective Discourse: Discussing nutrition myths and sources where participants are getting nutrition information as a group will allow for better understanding of why these myths are believed in society. Group discussions allow for participants to see how their experiences are similar or different from others. Participants who are comfortable will share their survey results and discuss where they commonly get nutrition information from. This will help develop a shared understanding of nutrition myths among the group.
· Action: The last component of Mezirow’s psycho-critical approach is action. Participants will be educated on the credentials nutritional professionals have and tools they can use to identify potential nutrition misinformation. They will also be provided with evidence-based resources they can use and social media accounts they can follow with accurate information. Participants will be able to actively identify nutrition myths they come across and learn about nutrition topics from credible sources.
Design:
Modules | Content | Activity | Rationale |
Module 1
Presentation by Registered Dietitian (RD) | A RD will present on common nutrition myths and how this can negatively impact health. | Myth Busters Icebreaker:
The participants will break the ice and get to know each other and discuss the common nutrition myths they have heard and possibly followed in the past.
After the icebreaker, the registered dietitian will present the common nutrition myths she often sees. The dietitian explains how certain myths, if followed, can negatively impact health. | Component: Experience
By discussing with each other and breaking the ice, the participants will be able to reflect on their experiences when it comes to nutrition myths. It is important for the participants to understand the myths they have followed in the past in order to be prepared to learn about why the myths are myths and potentially change the way they think about certain nutrition-related topics. |
Module 2
Survey on Nutrition Information Sources | Participants reflect on where they get nutrition information from and what they look for in the individuals portraying the nutrition information. Participants will learn about sources of nutrition information that are evidence-based and those that are not reliable sources. Participants will also learn about what credentials to look for in authors of nutrition information. | Survey: Participants will complete a survey created by the registered dietitian. The survey will consist of nutrition websites or blogs that are not evidence-based. There will also be questions about which credentials, if any, participants look for in authors of nutrition-related information. | Component: Critical Reflection
Completing a survey and understanding their results will help the participants reflect and understand more about the sources they use for nutrition information and who they retrieve nutrition information from. Critical reflection on how they get nutrition information can lead to individual and social transformation when it comes to nutrition myths. |
Module 3
Group discussion | During this module, the participants will discuss with small groups and the registered dietitian to learn more about how false nutrition information can lead to negative health effects. The participants will also discuss strategies they can use to make sure they are following nutrition information that is evidence-based. | Group discussions:
Participants will discuss the common nutrition myths the RD presented in module 1 and discuss with one another their experience with nutrition myths if any. The participants will discuss the common sources of false nutrition information and the credentials that are important to look for. | Component: Reflective Discourse
Reflective discourse will allow for better understanding of why these myths are believed in society. Also, group discussions allow for participants to see how their experiences are similar or different from others. Discussing each others’ results from the survey will help develop ashared understanding of nutrition myths among the group. |
Module 4
Finding Credible Nutrition Information | The RD will share what red flags to look for in nutrition information online. Credible nutrition resources will be shown and participants will learn how to identify nutrition professionals’ credentials. The participants will also learn what tools they can use to identify nutrition myths and how to debunk them. The registered dietitian will also give the participants evidence-based resources they can use and social media accounts they can follow with accurate information. | Practice: The registered dietitian will pass out examples of evidence-based nutrition sources and sources that are non-reliable. The participants will write down which sources are reliable, which are not, and why. The registered dietitian will go through the answers with the whole group to check the participants’ understanding of what nutrition sources and credentials should be followed. After practicing, the registered dietitian will provide participants with credible resources for nutrition information to take home and also tools to identify nutrition misinformation. | Component: Action
By providing participants with credible resources for nutrition information and also giving tools to identify nutrition misinformation, participants can actively avoid nutrition myths. Participants will have the information they need to make science-based nutrition decisions rather than believing information given online from uncredentialed individuals. |
Handout given to participants:
References:
YouTube. (2009, June 29). Transformative learning: IDEAS AND STRATEGIES. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUxrip6w2g4Links to an external site.
Valamis. (2023, July 7). Transformative learning theory by Jack Mezirow . https://www.valamis.com/hub/transformative-learningLinks to an external site.
