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Impact Report

For plan KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (San Juan County)
Date October 15, 2007, 12:18 pm
For Objective Short-term Show short-term objectives
Impact Report In San Juan County, as well as New Mexico, five of the leading causes of death include heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and hypertension – which have all been linked to a person’s diet. Because good nutrition is essential to improve and maintain good health in individuals, a variety of nutrition education programs were requested by San Juan County clientele. The goal of the home economist has been to improve the health of San Juan County residents by providing education on healthy food choices, food preparation skills, meal management and food resource management. “Native American Traditional Cooking”, “Fun with Food,” “Healthy Eating for the Holidays”, “Heart Healthy Cooking”, “Avoid Portion Distortion”, “MyPyramid for Kids”, “MyPyramid for Adults”, and “How much Fat” and “How much Sugar” are just a few of the topics taught by the home economist during presentations this year. A new program entitled “Summer Time (or anytime) Food Safety 101” was presented to 483 employees of CononoPhillips. Members learned about the “two hour rule”, lunch box safety, how hot it is inside their vehicles, as well as basic food safety information. Where lunch boxes are kept in cars was also addressed with much discussion on this topic. Supervisors commented about some contractors that kept their burritos “hot” all day by keeping them on the dash boards of their pick-ups. Approximately 5% of the room stated they also practiced this form of “heating” their food but now, due to this presentation, would abstain from this practice. “Native American Traditional Cooking” was a class given to a pre-diabetes evaluation study group in Shiprock. During the course of the workshop the sixteen participants learned how to prepare healthier traditional Navajo foods, how to limit high fat food choices, how much sugar is in soft drinks, how to choose lower fat breads and grains and how to avoid proportion distortion by paying attention to what a serving size is. A lower fat traditional Navajo Taco was made, with specific care taken in demonstrating the proper serving size the fry bread should be. 100% of the participants increased their knowledge of on ways to prepare healthier Native American food choices. A class entitled “Fun with Food” was developed for day care providers through San Juan College’s Family Resource Center. The nineteen participants learned tips for feeding children, making meal times pleasant, serving food safely, how to offer nutritious foods and how to personalize and develop MyPyramid food plans for 2 year old boys and girls. They also learned the appropriate serving sizes that children this age need to maintain a healthy diet. A variety of hands on snacks were made so participants could see that food could indeed be fun. 100% of the participants stated they increased their knowledge of food preparation and meal planning for their in home day care centers and also learned the importance of physical activity for the children in their care. The home economist trained seventy-seven Navajo Nation WIC case workers and care givers in “Healthy Eating for the Holidays.” They learned how to incorporate low fat dairy products into holiday favorites to make them more nutritious for their clients, as well as their families. They were also instructed on low fat tips for vegetables, and low fat cooking for meat, poultry and fish. How to prepare healthy meals using commodities, and learning to use herbs and spices in their cooking instead of salt was discussed. Incorporating more vegetables into an individual’s diet was also stressed and participants had the opportunity to try unusual foods such as nopales, jicama, and quelites. Other classes provided to fifteen Navajo Nation WIC workers include food preservation. “The Bottom Line on Energy Drinks and Soft Drinks” was a program that was delivered to 194 Navajo students at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington. The school/dorm banned energy drinks from the campus at the end of the previous school year and the staff wanted this issue addressed during the health and wellness day at the school. Students learned what energy drinks are, what’s in them, and how much (or lack of) nutritional value they have. They learned what’s so bad about energy drinks and measured how much sugar these drinks and soft drinks have in them. Students were shocked to learn that a 12 ounce soda has between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar in it. Based on comments from 50% of the students, they plan to lower their energy drink and soft drink consumption. “A Look at Serving Sizes” was part two of the program. Students had to choose which serving size was the healthiest. 80% of the participants increased their knowledge on portions sizes and 40% stated they plan to choose smaller serving sizes of fast foods. “Cold Pizza for Breakfast”, a program developed by Nebraska Extension about MyPyramid food safety tips for tweens and teens who cook was presented to 101 Family Consumer Science Students at Piedra Vista High School. Students learned how to safety wash their hands, how to properly clean, separate, cook and chill and had fun playing the game “Keep or Toss”. They were surprised to learn that some people (like the very young, older adults and people with weakened immune systems) are more susceptible to food poisoning than others. The “two hour rule” was a surprise to many. In the “Keep or Toss” game they got to practice which scenario safely kept food at it’s most harmless and if the food was left out for more than two hours at room temperature. Three hundred thirty-six family members participated in the MyPyramid and “How Much Sugar and Fat are in Foods” workshops presented by the Home Economist during the summer feeding programs at area parks. Youth of all ages loved to measure the amounts of fat found in their favorite fast foods. Many were astonished to discover just how much fat these foods had. They had to guess how much sugar was in a 12 ounce bottle of pop and a 20 ounce bottle of pop. Participants learned about the benefit of eating healthy and being how important it is to be physically active. Indian Livestock Days is an annual event that is traditionally all livestock oriented. This year some of the committee members wanted to add a food and nutrition component. Home Economists in three counties (San Juan, McKinley and Sandoval) planned and implemented a “Heart Healthy Cooking” demonstration as well a mini health fair that had booths featuring our ICAN posters during the break times of the two day conference. The thirteen participants in the “Hearth Healthy Cooking” workshop learned about fat facts, choosing fats and oils, low fat cooking for meat, fish and poultry, and practiced making a variety of lower fat recipes. Southwestern Private Services provides care givers to members of the Navajo Nation who need assistance with their daily living and cooking because of illness. The Home Economist was asked to provide nutrition, meal planning and food safety training to these care givers over a period of three months. Fifty-nine care givers received the hands on training and food preparation class. Comments from the participants about what they learned include: “I learned how to make low fat foods using ordinary ingredients, some without using low fat items.” “I learned about serving sizes and food safety, preparation and sanitation.” “I learned how you can become sick anytime from foods that aren’t properly cooked or stored. And some do’s and don’s about food storage. And some people that we take care of can get sick easily if their immune systems are weak.” 100% of the participants increased their knowledge of food preparation and meal planning. 50% said they plan to adopt the new food preparation and meal planning techniques they learned during the classes. Ninety-eight Ojo Elementary School fifth and sixth graders participated in the “Healthy Snacking” workshop taught by the Home Economist. The students learned about the MyPyramid plan and how they could make their own nutrition and exercise plan by going to the mypyramid.gov website. They were taught what makes a snack healthy and practiced measuring the correct serving size for foods they like to eat. 75% of the participants increased their knowledge of MyPyramid. Thirty-two Shiprock Northwest High School Dorm students also participated in a Healthy Snacking workshop. 80% of these participants increased their knowledge of the importance of physical activity. Kitchen Creations Diabetes Cooking Schools The home economist, in collaboration with a nurse from San Juan Regional Medical Center and Certified Dietitians from Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM taught the four series of Kitchen Creations Diabetes Cooking Schools that were provided to residents of San Juan County during the 2006 and 2007 program year. Sixty-nine individuals completed the classes. Participants entered the classes with a limited knowledge about diabetes and left with a better understanding of how to control their blood glucose levels through diet and exercise. They learned how to plan meals using the 50/50 Plate and the Diabetes Food Pyramid, how to count carbohydrates, how to prepare low fat vegetables, the importance of beans and grains in the diet, serving sizes, and how to cook more “heart healthy.” Seven months after one series ended, a participant stated that her husband’s blood sugar had dropped tremendously and that he had lost 17 pounds because of knowledge learned during the classes. More than 50% of participants use the Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid to plan a day’s meal and 59% read food labels to find the amount of carbohydrates in a serving. 42% now measure their food portions. San Juan County ICAN The ICAN program in San Juan County utilizes two Nutrition Educators and one Program Assistant to provide a multitude of hands-on learning experiences in the areas of nutrition, food preparation, food safety and food budgeting by providing programming to limited resource residents. The home economist provides quarterly staff trainings to the educators. Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are prevalent in San Juan County and are often caused by poor food choices. Food Stamp clients learned they have a decision when it comes to improving their food choices and changing their physical activity habits. Participants have increased their use of the Dietary Guidelines and the new MyPyramid in making food choices and meal planning. They have also increased the use of thrifty shopping and quick, economical food preparation techniques and food choices. Since October 1, 2006 over 504 youth and 220 adults have graduated from the programs conducted at Roscinate Alternative School, Day Reporting School, Kirtland Elementary School, Aztec Navajo Dorm, Farmington and Aztec Boys and Girls Clubs, Navajo Preparatory High School, Aztec and Farmington Sr. Citizens Centers, Family Crisis Shelters and ISD (Income Support Division). Many others have benefited from “one shot” programs offered by the nutrition educators. Comments from teen parents include: “I learned how to feed my child healthy food. At first I thought it was stupid but then I found myself liking this class. I very much like to stay in this class because you get to learn different things and have fun.”