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Evaluation of ‘A Survival Guide to Food’

Project Code: FS524005

17/07/2012

Policy Studies Institute
Smeaton, D

This study evaluated the Survival Guide to Food, (a guide intended for young people leaving home for the first time and having to cook for themselves), and the marketing campaign promoting it. Overall the Guide was viewed as a popular and valued publication. However, there remains scope to improve the content of the Guide, the marketing and the means by which messages are disseminated.

The FSA in NI commissioned an extensive evaluation in 2011. The prime objective was to evaluate, from the perspectives of students and teachers, the Survival Guide to Food and the marketing campaign promoting the Guide. In the absence of baseline data, the evaluation was not designed to identify objective measures of change over time. Instead, the perceived impact of the Guide was assessed by means of feedback from students and teachers. Of interest were the impacts of the Guide and marketing approach on engagement with the issues, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards food.

Overall, feedback on the Guide was very positive in relation to layout, colour graphics, humour, recipes and information being pitched at the right level
Various approaches were taken by teachers to disseminate and distribute the Guide including sixth form tutorials and survival cookery classes
Greater use of the Guide was evident in schools offering cookery as an enrichment topic. The focus in these instances was on practical cooking skills and using the recipes.
The hardback A5 format was preferred; online printout would not set the Guide apart from other student handouts and, for some schools, printing and photocopying costs would preclude use of a downloadable version
The various marketing methods had limited impact
There was some evidence of behaviour change as reported by students in the survey and during focus groups, for example, reading food labels and storage instructions more carefully; cutting down on salt, taking note of iron messages, etc.

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