Research Consent

Information Letter

Dear Potential Participant,

You are invited to take part in the research project identified above which is being conducted by Jennifer Mitsche, Joshna Maharaj, Suman Roy, and Jamie White through the Research and Innovation Department at George Brown College.

This research project examines how post-secondary students’ eating habits are affected by their environment. Canadian university and college student support services are trying to address student food insecurity, physical health, and mental well-being; however, most programs treat them as separate issues, and those programs that integrate these problems have not been effectively researched and documented. The purpose of the research project is to address students’ nutritional needs but also to engage them in the social functions of preparing and eating good food with others. Previous research has shown that there are measurable benefits of a healthy diet, and anecdotal evidence generated from the pilot project reveals that not only does a communal lunch program address nutritional needs, it has the potential to engender a culture that nurtures spontaneous communities of students who care for each other and the food they eat.

Who can participate in the research?

We are seeking college and university students to participate in this research. Please be aware that participation in the in-person component of this research project involves preparing an ingredient and engaging with other students to eat communal lunches that are made up of ingredients prepared by other participants and student project assistants. If you currently have food allergies, it is advisable to refrain from participation as it is impossible to ensure that you will not be exposed to specific food allergens. One part of the virtual component of the project involves participating in one or more weekly virtual lunches hosted by a student Project Assistant (PA). The virtual lunches are hosted on the Zoom platform and require that participants adhere to Zoom’s Acceptable Use Policy here.

What choice do I have?

Participation is entirely voluntary. If you decide to participate, you may withdraw from the project at any time without giving a reason. The researcher(s) may also withdraw a participant if it is considered in the participant’s best interest or it is appropriate to do so for another reason. If this happens, the researcher(s) will explain why and advise you about any follow-up procedures or alternative arrangements as appropriate.

All information collected will be confidential. All information collected will be stored securely with the researchers and kept for a period of seven years in the English and Communications faculty office at George Brown College. At no time will any individual be identified in any reports resulting from this study.

What will I be asked to do?

Year 1 must move to an online format to respond to current physical distancing requirements:
Participants may engage in an online lunch hub where they can attend virtual lunches, be guided to create meals, and learn how to stock a pantry and plan meals.
Participants will be encouraged to share photos of the meals they create as they build food skills, knowledge, and community during the 2020-2021 academic year that will likely be entirely online – the photos will be posted on Instagram and will be used to populate the photo gallery of student-made meals on the website. Students will be made aware of Instagram’s privacy policy here. Students who wish to post photos of their meals anonymously may submit their photos to the research team who will post them to the photo gallery on their behalf.
Respectful and courteous conduct is a requirement of all participants during virtual and in-person lunches.
Year 2 and 3 will build on the online community format and move to in-person format:
Participants may join one or all weekly lunches in a 5-week session and then will be asked to complete a questionnaire. Some participants will be invited to participate in a focus group.
Participants will be asked to follow food preparation hygiene standards.
Participants will be asked to refrain from attending lunches if they do not feel well.
Participants will be asked to share their email address to facilitate communication with the Primary Investigator or the PA who is leading the in-person or virtual lunch session for the lunch(es) that they attend. The online questionnaire will require the participant to share some general demographics information, but it will be anonymous. There will be no personal identifiers on the questionnaire. The information requested will be exclusively used for research.
The time commitment required for each component involves committing to a full lunch, which usually lasts an hour, and the completion of a questionnaire, which will take 15-20 minutes. The commitment to meeting regularly each week is optional for each participant.
Participants may join as many lunch sessions as they wish. They are required to complete only one questionnaire. Some participants will be asked to join a focus group that will meet once. Participation in the focus group is voluntary.
The research project is an extension of a successful pilot project at George Brown College, so participants will be using a tested format. The only element of experimentation will involve developing an online lunch hub to respond to the immediate needs of students resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and creating a web-based portal for joining in-person lunch groups, and sharing recipes and information about the project as it develops.
Participation will take place online for the first year, and on the participant’s college or university campus in the 2nd and 3rd year. It will take place during a designated lunch hour once weekly over a period of 5-week sessions.
Jennifer Mitsche and Joshna Maharaj will conduct the focus groups. Student PAs will facilitate the lunches.

What are the risks and benefits of participating?

The risk of participating in the in-person component of the lunch project is the same as the everyday risk that anyone would encounter while eating lunch prepared by someone else, either in a restaurant or for take-out. There is increased risk of virus transmission, exposure to food allergens, and exposure to potential harm from poor hygiene or poor food quality. In the pilot project, none of these risks were encountered by any participants, and we are taking further precautions to minimize risk specifically due to virus transmission.

The risks of participating in the virtual lunches on Zoom or sharing photos of meals through Instagram are the same as the everyday risk that anyone assumes when engaged on these platforms. Participants may choose to turn off the video setting for any virtual (Zoom) lunches that they attend, but participants will be reminded that the virtual lunches are an attempt to create temporary online lunch communities, which are more easily facilitated when all participants have the video turned on. Participants will be asked to refrain from taking screen shots of the other participants or the student-made meals during the virtual lunches without the expressed consent of each participant. This will be in the form of a consent sentence (“I consent to a screen shot of this virtual lunch”) in the chat box.

The benefits of participating are immediate and long-term. The research project will provide support in an emerging area of self-care through food. Student participants will benefit from a framework that enables them to access healthy food, learn and enact basic self-care skills, and build social connections. Participants will also be contributing to research that aims to reduce the number of students in crisis through prevention by providing campus student support programs with evidence-based training tools and online modules to support the well-being of students in the future. The partnership with Meal Exchange will enable research outcomes to be applied at campuses nationwide.

How will the information collected be used?

The data will be reported or presented at four conferences, one research symposium and in an academic journal. Information about the participants will be reported in such a way that participants will remain anonymous and outcomes will be general. Feedback regarding the outcomes of the research project will be available to participants through the Meal Exchange website and a digital manual or handbook that will be distributed to student support services departments at participating campuses.

What do I need to do to participate?

Please read this Information Letter and be sure you understand its contents before you consent to participate. If there is anything you do not understand, or you have any questions, please contact the Principal Investigator at communallunch@gmail.com.

If you would like to participate, please sign the consent form.

Thank you for considering this invitation,

Jennifer Mitsche, Primary Investigator/Project Director

Joshna Maharaj, Project Collaborator

Farheen Khan, Executive Director, Meal Exchange

Jaimie White, Engagement & Communications Lead, Meal Exchange

This project has been approved by the George Brown College Research Ethics Board,
Approval No. 6004726
Should you have any concerns about your rights as a participant in this research, or you have a complaint about the manner in which the research is conducted please get in touch with the Chair of the REB at ResearchEthics@georgebrown.ca.

Consent Form

I have read and understood the information on the research project, the Communal Lunch Project, which is to be conducted by Jennifer Mitsche and all questions have been answered to my satisfaction.

I agree to voluntarily participate in this research and give my consent freely. I understand that the project will be conducted in accordance with the Information Letter, a copy of which I have retained for my records.

I understand I can withdraw from the project at any time, without penalty, and do not have to give any reason for withdrawal.

I consent to:

Participate in one or more weekly lunches during the in-person project period – follow public health hygiene guidelines for food preparation and physical distancing requirements. Be respectful of other participants during lunches.
Participate in one or more weekly virtual lunches during the virtual and/or in-person project period.
Be respectful of other participants during lunches and adhere to Zoom’s Acceptable Use Policy here and Instagram’s Privacy Policy here.
Participate in an online survey to provide anonymous feedback on the lunch(es) that I attend.
Participate (if requested) in a focus group to provide further feedback which will be used to improve the delivery and reach of the Communal Lunch Project.

Approved: GBC REB 2014
Publication 2014-12-08

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