ABSTRACT Background Early childhood is a critical period for establishing lifelong habits, and the presence of healthy role models can play a pivotal role in shaping children's nutrition‐related behaviors. The Teacher Education and Classroom Habits (T.E.A.C.H.) Study aimed to improve teachers' nutrition knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors. Methods Ninety‐five early childhood Montessori teachers from 45 schools across 24 US states participated in a virtual nutrition intervention with synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. Hierarchical linear modeling was utilized to evaluate changes in nutrition knowledge (NK), nutrition self‐efficacy (NSE), nutrition teaching self‐efficacy (NTSE), cultural competence (CC), classroom‐eating behaviors (CEB), classroom food practices (CFP), nutrition teaching practices (NTP), and teacher‐parent communication (TPC). Results Significant improvements from baseline (week‐0) to post‐intervention (week‐6) were observed in NK, NSE, NTSE, CC, NTP, and TPC. Aside from NSE, sustained changes at follow‐up (week‐12) were observed in all variables. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity Findings suggest that implementing flexible nutrition training as part of teacher professional development may support long‐term improvements in classroom practices and promote equitable access to school‐based health initiatives. Conclusion This study demonstrates that a virtual nutrition intervention for teachers, with combined synchronous and asynchronous learning, can lead to sustained improvements in teachers' nutrition‐related role modeling abilities and classroom nutrition practices.
Vitale et al. (Sun,) studied this question.