Peer-reviewed article
Training Needs and Preferred Delivery Modes Among Child Nutrition Professionals: Results From a National Survey.
Ruaa Al Juboori, Mackinsey K Shahan, Keith Rushing ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study surveyed 777 child nutrition professionals in the United States to understand their training needs and preferences for how training should be delivered. The survey found that preferences for training format (in-person, virtual, or self-paced online) varied by professional role and topic. For example, school nutrition managers preferred in-person training for complex operational topics, while frontline workers and child care professionals preferred self-paced online training for compliance topics. The researchers concluded that flexible, varied training approaches would better serve different professional groups.
Key points
- School nutrition management staff preferred in-person live training for operational topics like food production (17.8%) and program management (17.6%)
- Self-paced online formats were most preferred for compliance-oriented topics including civil rights (23.1%) and food safety (22.2%)
- Frontline school nutrition workers preferred self-paced online training for USDA meal pattern requirements (26.6%)
- Child and Adult Care Food Program professionals most often preferred self-paced online training for meal pattern requirements (30.7%) and health and safety (29.1%)
- Training preferences differed significantly by professional role and subject matter
Limitations
This is a survey of professional training preferences rather than an evaluation of child well-being outcomes. It does not measure the impact of any training on children's nutrition, health, or development, and therefore does not provide evidence about whether different training approaches actually improve child nutrition or health outcomes.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Child nutrition (CN) professionals must meet ongoing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards and professional training requirements, yet national evidence on priority training topics and preferred delivery formats across roles is limited. OBJECTIVE: To identify high priority training needs and preferred delivery modes among School Nutrition (SN) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) professionals nationwide. DESIGN: Cross sectional, web-based survey. SETTING: United States; survey distributed through the Institute of Child Nutrition national contact database (emails sent November 7 to December 5, 2023). PARTICIPANTS: A total of 777 CN professionals including SN management/other staff, SN frontline staff/workers, and CACFP professionals. INTERVENTION IF APPLICABLE: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondents selected high-need training topics to complete within the next 2 years and indicated preferred delivery mode (in-person live, live virtual, or self-paced online) for each selected topic. RESULTS: Training priorities and delivery preferences differed by role and topic. SN management/other respondents most often preferred in-person live training for operational and complex topics such as food production (17.8%) and program management (17.6%), while live virtual training was most frequently preferred for special diets (19.0%). Self-paced online formats were most frequently preferred for compliance-oriented topics including civil rights (23.1%) and food safety/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (22.2%). SN frontline staff/workers most often preferred self-paced online training for USDA meal pattern requirements (26.6%) and civil rights (22.9%), and live virtual training for special diets (17.4%). CACFP professionals most often preferred self-paced online training for USDA meal pattern requirements (30.7%) and health and safety (29.1%), with live virtual training commonly preferred for administration/paperwork (24.4%) and special diets (24.4%). CONCLUSIONS: CN professionals report role and topic-specific training needs and distinct delivery preferences, supporting flexible, differentiated training pathways (eg, in-person for hands on operations; self-paced online for standardized compliance content) to strengthen implementation of USDA standards.