“Someone Stole My Popcorn”: Integrating Brief Nutrition Education Into a School‐University Service‐Learning Physical Activity Program

BACKGROUND: Poor dietary habits disproportionately affect children in under-resourced schools, where time, staffing, and curricular constraints often limit access to structured nutrition education. School-university partnerships that integrate nutrition education into existing programs may offer a feasible and equitable approach to addressing nutrition literacy. CONTRIBUTIONS TO PRACTICE: This article describes the implementation and participants' experiences of a brief nutrition education component added to the All Stars Moving Together (ASMT) school-university service-learning physical activity program. Twelve brief (10-min) nutrition education and healthy snack sampling sessions were delivered by undergraduate students, following ASMT physical activity sessions over 8 weeks. Practice-based evidence was supported by a pre-post questionnaire, focus group discussions with elementary students, and narrative reflections from college students to inform perceptions of program impact. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: Participants' narratives highlighted exposure and preference to healthy snacks, nutrition knowledge, learning experiences, and awareness of food choice. Integrating brief, experiential nutrition education into existing school-based physical activity programs appears feasible, acceptable, and culturally responsive, while offering a low-cost nutrition approach in under-resourced communities. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating short nutrition education sessions into experiential service-learning school-based programs offers a practical strategy for promoting nutrition literacy and health equity for youth in under-resourced communities.