Cooking Matters Mobile Application: a meal planning and preparation tool for low-income parents.

OBJECTIVE: To describe low-income parents' and caregivers' perceptions of the Cooking Matters Mobile Application (CM App) meal planning and preparation features. DESIGN: Explanatory mixed-methods design where data were gathered via online surveys based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Theory of Reasoned Action, followed by telephone interviews. SETTING: CM App, a mobile phone-based resource geared towards low-income parents and caregivers of young children (pregnancy/infant to age 5 years) for meal planning and preparation, with features based on skills taught in the Cooking Matters course: recipes, shopping list and meal planning. PARTICIPANTS: Low-income parents and caregivers (survey participants, n 461; interview participants, n 20) who had downloaded the CM App to their smartphone and agreed to participate in the current evaluation. RESULTS: Attitudes and self-efficacy related to CM App's subject matter and functions (meal planning; recipe use; creating and using a shopping list) were measured via surveys and interviews. Mean (sd) responses were positive towards 'meal planning' and 'shopping and cooking' (4·17 (0·63) and 3·49 (0·86) on a 5-point Likert scale, respectively). Interviewees described meal planning and preparation behaviours as intrinsic, based on habit, and influenced by family preference and food costs. Early adopters of the CM App may already be engaged in and/or are motivated to engage in the targeted health behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Users may benefit most from incorporating into their routines new ways to prepare easy, cost-efficient, healthy meals at home that their families will enjoy.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Public Health and Community Nutrition.

The need and demand for population-level disease prevention has increased, especially with the passage of the Affordable Care Act, a worldwide increase in obesity and chronic disease, and a global emphasis on preventative health care that includes behavioral, environmental, and policy interventions. In response to these evolving needs, the Public Health and Community Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, with guidance from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Quality Management Committee, has developed Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance as tools for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) currently in practice or interested in working in public health and community nutrition, to assess their current skill levels and to identify areas for professional development. The Standards of Practice address the four steps of the Nutrition Care Process for community and public health RDNs, which are assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and evaluation/monitoring. The Standards of Professional Performance consist of the following six domains of professional performance for community and public health RDNs: Quality in Practice, Competence and Accountability, Provision of Services, Application of Research, Communication and Application of Knowledge, and Utilization and Management of Resources. Within each standard, specific indicators provide measurable action statements that illustrate the ways in which RDNs can address client and population nutrition and health. The indicators describe three skill levels (competent, proficient, and expert) for RDNs. These tools highlight the unique scope of expertise that RDNs provide to the field of public health and community nutrition.