An individualized food-skills programme: Development, implementation and evaluation

Deficits in food skills may have serious implications for nutritional status if food intake becomes compromised. Food-skills deficits were identified in a group of consumers with chronic mental illness living in hospital-based care. Some of the consumers with identified deficits were being transferred to the community as a result of hospital downsizing, so a programme was developed to improve their core food skills. An individualized approach was selected for programme implementation, as suggested by nutrition and disability curriculum literature. The present paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an individualized food-skills intervention programme. Key research questions were investigated, including the direction and magnitude of observed changes in food skills of participants; the identification of sessions that were most and least successful and why; and whether sessions were sequenced in an appropriate manner and if other sequences could be used. Improvements in food skills were evident in all three participants undertaking the programme, suggesting that this approach may be an effective method to improve core food skills.