ABSTRACT

Objective: Explore the effects of poverty simulation integrated into an upper level nutrition course as a preparation for working with low income individuals.

Background: The number of poor people is increasing in United States. Nutrition students need to understand the constraints of living in poverty and its relationship to nutrition and health.

Method: A total of 123 students in an upper level course underwent poverty simulation to be sensitize to the realities of living in a typical low-income family. A pre-and post-questionnaire were administered to measure the impact of the simulation on the student’s sensitivity towards poverty. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results:Thirty two percent of the students strongly agreed that the community does not provide efficient services to help low income families after the simulation. Most of the students did not change their thinking about causes of poverty after the simulation.

Conclusion: Poverty simulation did not significantly alter the students’sensitivity towards low-income individuals, but they identified that the community needs to provide a more effective and efficient services.

Implication:Results suggests that incorporating experiential learning in a nutrition course can help student develop a more empathetic understanding of poverty.

摘要

目的：探索将贫困模拟的效果纳入上级营养课程，为与低收入人群合作做准备。

背景：美国的贫困人口正在增加。营养学学生需要了解生活在贫困中的制约因素及其与营养和健康的关系。

方法：总共123名高年级学生接受了贫困模拟，以了解一个典型的低收入家庭的现实生活。进行问卷调查之前和之后，以测量模拟对学生对贫困的敏感性的影响。数据通过社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）进行分析。

结果： 32％的学生强烈同意，模拟后社区不会提供有效的服务来帮助低收入家庭。模拟后，大多数学生没有改变对贫困原因的看法。

结论：贫困模拟并没有显着改变学生对低收入者的敏感性，但他们发现社区需要提供更有效和高效的服务。

含义：结果表明，将体验式学习纳入营养课程可以帮助学生对贫困更加理解。