enhancing food security and physical activity for maori, pacific and ...

Enhancing Food Security and Physical Activity for Māori, Pacific and Low-income PeoplesA review of initiatives to improve the health of communities for the Ministry of Healthidentified that the key determinants of an effective community-based programmewere: 35• agreement between parties on the need for intersectoral action• support provided in the wider community, and• capacity to conduct develop and implement the interventionNutrition programmes for Māori were particularly effective when they had the approvalof the local Māori community, were run and developed by Māori using principles oftikanga Māori, and utilised existing Māori networks. 35The most common format for cooking skills classes is a small group class once aweek for approximately six weeks. They are often community-based, and use either atrain-the-trainer approach or are led by nutrition professionals. Some classes aremore participatory, where participants choose recipes and topics, and plan the mealsthey will cook. This format appears most effective. Cooking classes for children/youthwere either taught during school time as part of the curriculum, or run as an afterschoolprogramme.Potential side effectsThe potential positive side-effects of such a course noted by attendees at workshopsfor the ENHANCE project included community capacity-building, connectiveness andsocial cohesion, and improved wellbeing for participants.It was noted that if the classes were aimed at school-aged children, and the classeswere run through schools, they could add to an already overloaded curriculum andfurther burden schools. There may also be some risk of increasing inequalities if theclasses are not appropriate or acceptable to Māori or Pacific communities.Cost-benefit analysisNo cost-benefit analyses were identified in New Zealand literature.ConclusionAlthough the evidence assessed is not high quality, it suggests cooking skillsprogrammes have potential to influence diet. Their impact on food security is lesscertain. While cooking skills courses appear to improve practical skills, cookingconfidence, and knowledge of healthy eating, there is not enough evidence todetermine if they have a positive effect on food security. However, provided cookingskills programmes are developed and implemented with and for priority groups, theyare likely to be acceptable to stakeholders and have a positive effect on equity.Cooking skills classes should also be framed within the context of the true causes offood insecurity. Food insecurity is not primarily caused by a lack of individual cookingskills, but is mainly a problem of insufficient access to food and resources. Thus,cooking skills classes might help with issues of food insecurity, but they will notremove the cause. However, this research suggests they could be a valuablecomponent of a multi-faceted and multi-level intervention to enhance food security forMāori, Pacific and low-income families/whānau. Thus, cooking skills programmesneed to be in the context of a comprehensive food security or nutrition policy and not astand-alone solution.68