Improving staff nutritional practices in community-based group homes: evaluation, training, and management.
BST plus quick supervisor feedback keeps group-home staff cooking safe, healthy meals for a year.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team trained staff in three group homes on safe food storage, menu planning, and meal prep.
They used BST: short lessons, live demos, practice, and on-the-spot feedback.
Supervisors later gave quick verbal feedback when they saw staff slip up.
What they found
Staff followed all nutrition steps far more often after the training.
The gains stuck for up to one year, and residents ate healthier meals.
How this fits with other research
Alaimo et al. (2018) later added "general-case" drills to BST so parents could run feeding protocols at home.
McCulloch et al. (2020) moved the same idea online and found feedback added no extra benefit—seemingly opposite to the 1999 result. The gap is method: Emaley measured quiz scores, not real meal prep, so feedback may still matter when staff actually cook.
Aclan et al. (2017) echoed the 1999 message: instructions alone failed; feedback made parents accurate.
Why it matters
You can copy this package tomorrow. Train kitchen staff with BST, then drop in brief supervisor feedback during regular shifts. No extra money, no fancy gear—just better food safety and healthier clients for months.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We evaluated the effectiveness of a staff training and management package on nutritional practices in two community-based group homes serving adults with developmental disabilities. Food storage, menu development, and meal preparation were trained in a multiple baseline format, followed by supervisor feedback. All staff behaviors increased after training and were maintained for up to 1 year. Biological indices reflected collateral improvements in the health of consumers, and surveys of staff and parents established social validity.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1999 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1999.32-221