Abstract
The long-term goal of this integrated research, extension, and education project is to increase trout consumption in young children and families, while assessing effects of trout consumption on cognitive and emotional well-being.
Research objectives and activities include, (1) adult and child consumer panels to assess sensory properties and liking of three strains of trout, (2) effects of repeated exposure (RE) and child-centered nutrition phrases (CCNP) on eating behaviors and brain health determined using one control and two treatment groups of children in a childcare setting, (3) effects of nutrition education, incorporating CCNP, fish preparation techniques, and RE targeting family meals on eating behaviors of children while assessing brain health of adults and children using four treatment groups in the home setting. Extension objectives and activities include developing and marketing "About Trout! Pond to Plate," a 12-lesson video-based online nutrition education series incorporating CCNP and fish preparation techniques. Education objectives and activities will provide students with experiential learning opportunities in curriculum development, evaluation, data collection, and analysis.
In year one, research activities focused on protocol finalization and researcher training. Across institution Institutional Review Board reliance agreements and data use agreements were approved. Recruitment sites were identified and prioritized. We anticipate subject recruitment and data collection to begin in spring 2023. Extension activities included progress on curriculum content development and storyboard creation as well as working with University of Idaho Extension publishing to identify the appropriate online platform and timeline for peer review. Education activities included recruiting three graduate students. All three students successfully defended their thesis proposals, which will focus on different aspects of the larger grant. A research specialist was also hired to assist with overall project management. We held a successful and very productive advisory board meeting in January 2023.
Results from this project will provide foundational scientific evidence demonstrating successful approaches for facilitating adult and children's liking and consumption of fish to support cognitive and mental health.