KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior

Extension Homemaker Programming
During the 2011 planning meeting of the Extension Homemaker Membership, two(2) nutrition/foods programs were scheduled. The first program was entitled “Food with Flair”. Although many of the members do not use gourmet cooking styles, many wanted to add some flair to the foods they may be serving when entertaining family and friends throughout the year. A handout with several suggestions and recipes was compiled and presented to the membership during a monthly meeting.

The second program was on New Mexico Chile. Although the program was a refresher for many of the members, each came away learning something new. Each of the members were taught how to roast and peel the chile, and how to freeze or add the chile to recipes for home canning. Those members who were new to the club and/or community expressed the knowledge they had gained in using the chile grown in New Mexico and planned to use the new recipes for family meals.

Diabetes Education:
The Kitchen Creations Diabetes Cooking School was held for the 11th year in Lea County. This year the cooking schools were sponsored by Nor Lea General Hospital and the Lea County Diabetes Indigent funds. The classes were taught by the home economist and the two diabetes educators from Nor Lea General Hospital.

Within the last year two(2) cooking schools have been completed. The first cooking school was held in September 2010 in Hobbs. This class was in Spanish. The second class was held in Hobbs n June 2011. This class was in English. Due to budget concerns and scheduling, there were not as many cooking schools held in the county as in previous years. Only one of the cooking schools was paid for from the grant with the NM Department of Health, Control and Prevention Division. For the second cooking school, food and supplies were purchased through the county indigent diabetes fund. Manuals and cookbooks were ordered through NMSU.

Both of the classes were held in the late afternoon over four consecutive days. Over the four days, the participants learned about the disease of diabetes, how to count carbohydrates, how to cook using health ingredients and how to use artificial sweeteners. Each of the participants cooked various recipes, in which the entire class then sampled. Each recipe centered on a specific meal like breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack. The participants were then able to take the knowledge of these tested recipes home to use with their families. Within both classes participants ranged from individuals who were recently diagnosed with diabetes to those who had been diabetic for years but could not keep their blood sugars under control. In each class, 90% of the participants finished the class series.

As a member of the Lea County Indigent Diabetes Program, nutritional information has been provided to individuals and families regarding diabetes. As a result of these contacts 25% of these individuals have signed up to attend one of the Kitchen Creations cooking schools held throughout the last year.

Upon visiting with Kitchen Creations participants, changes have been seen by the patients, the diabetes educators and the doctors. Many of the newly diagnosed diabetes patients have begun to stabilize their blood sugars, have their medications reduced or eliminated, and have increased their physical activity. Others who have attended the class have reported the following after attending a cooking school:
• They have begun reading food labels when choosing a new product at the grocery store.
• Some of the salt/sodium in their diet has been replaced by herbs and spices.
• Their attitude towards the disease is more positive than negative, therefore making their mood a positive one.
• Each has begun to make small changes in their diet that include measuring their meal portions, adding fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and reducing the amount of fats they consume.
• Several of the newly diagnosed patients have commented on a lost in weight by following the information that was provided during the class series.

As a member of the New Mexico Association of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, the home economist worked on the In-Depth Committee for the national meeting to be held in Albuquerque, NM in September 2011. While on the committee, a tour of the Acoma Pueblo and a presentation of their diabetes program was coordinated. The 70 individuals on the tour gained insight into the Acoma culture as well as ways they have begun to educate their people on diabetes and the treatment of the disease.

General nutrition education is a continuing effort in Lea County throughout the year. The county residents continually request information from the extension service on a variety of topics from recipes to food preservation to general nutrition to food safety issues. The information is disseminated to the county residents through news paper articles, newsletter articles, New Mexico State University Bulletins and programs in the local civic clubs, schools, parent organizations and the Lea County Extension Homemakers membership. In the last year several programs have been given to the public, as well as the extension homemaker members.

Community-wide Programs:
Community wide programming is done on an as needed basis. Agencies, schools, civic clubs, and health centers call upon the home economist to present programs for certifications, general information purposes or professional opinions. Throughout the last year the following programming has been accomplished:
• Certification in food safety was needed for county senior center food service employees. The employees from the Hobbs, Eunice and Jal Senior Centers attended a presentation on food safety in the work place. Each participant received a certificate for 2 hours of training.
• Health Fairs were done for the Hobbs Senior Center and the Jal Health Clinic. A presentation on Calcium was done for the Hobbs Senior Center. Individuals who stopped at the booth were given information on calcium levels in your body as you age, how to choose a supplement and good food sources of calcium. The Jal Health Fair was a community event, with the majority of the participants coming from the schools. Participants who stopped at the booth were given information on portion control and serving sizes. Amounts of fats, salt and sugar displayed for common foods that school age youth enjoy.
• As a way to provide nutritionally sound food to the patients and employees of Nor Lea General Hospital in Lovington, the home economist was asked to sit in on a food tasting panel for the head chef. As a part of the panel, we tasted various sauces and communicated with the chef on ways the sauces could be used for patients and the daily lunch menus. The labels were also consulted for amounts of fat, sodium and sugar.
• A presentation for Tatum Kindergarten parents was done on Feeding Healthy Families. Information was presented to the parents on general meal planning, portion control, nutritious snacks, and using processed foods in daily meals. Most of the parents in attendance had young children and worked full time.
• As a part of the Jal Health Clinic’s yearly breast cancer awareness campaign, the home economist was asked to be a guest speaker at a luncheon. The participants in the luncheon were given a program on “Functional Foods”. The functional foods information provided the participants with research based health claims on various foods from flax seed to garlic.
• As a new attraction to the Lea County Fair, a cook off was coordinated by the home economist and fair board members. The cook off was designed to have four (4) different categories: homemade ice cream, pecan recipes, chocolate recipes, and salsa. Members from the county participated in the cook offs throughout the week, with “celebrities” from the county judging the event. Approximately, 20 entries were showcased in the cook offs.

As a result of the community-wide programs:
• 90% of the senior center food service staff was certified in food safety for a year. Each of the food service employees gained a better understanding of why they must keep foods at the proper temperature to avoid food borne illnesses.
• 85% of the senior center food service staff will work to avoid cross contaminating the foods that they serve to the senior population of Hobbs, Eunice and Jal.
• 50% of the youth that visited the Jal Health Fair, are aware of the amount of sugar, fat and salt that can be found in the foods they eat regularly.
• 70% of the senior citizens that visited the Hobbs Senior Center Health Fair discovered that they have been getting calcium in their diets from foods they ate every day, without knowing it.
• More nutritious meals will be planned and served to the employees and patients of Nor Lea General Hospital based on the recommendations from the food tasting panel.
• 30% of the parents in Tatum, who attended the presentation will be planning and feeding their children a nutritious family style meal.
• The women who attended the Breast Cancer Awareness Luncheon have a better knowledge of the foods they can add to their diet for added health benefit.
• Residents in the county, become familiar with the Lea County Extension Service through the fair cook off completions.

DIABETES EDUCATION

The agent offered one Kitchen Creations diabetes cooking schools in Las Cruces during PY 2010-2011 due to budget reductions.
The agent also hosted information tables at various community events with diabetes information. This year the agent documented 351 diabetes educational contacts.

The agent is also part of the Doña Ana Diabetes Action Coalition. This multi-agency coalition is responsible for supporting diabetes prevention and management events. For example Diabetes Wellness Day was held in November 2010. This is an annual educational conference open to the public, which provides a “one-stop shop” for diabetes management information.

The coalition also partnered with the City of Las Cruces to host monthly physical activity events called Ciclovías. This monthly event provides the community with opportunities for fun physical activity as a way to address the issue of obesity and diabetes. The success of this event has encouraged other counties to plan and implement their own Ciclovía events.

This year the agent documented 1,106 physical activity contacts.

NUTRITION/FOOD SAFETY

The agent offered general nutrition/food safety information as part of workshops to elementary, middle school and university students, parents, seniors, department of health clients and colonias residents. The agent also offered nutrition information as part of community events such as health fairs, the Home and Garden Show, Las Cruces National Night Out and the Hatch Chile Festival.

A particularly impactful part of this nutrition education is a display that shows how much sugar and fat is in common snack foods (i.e. candy bars, chips and soda). The agent has anecdotal evidence of the impact of this display. For example one woman said her elementary school-age son warned his father of the amount of sugar contained in soda after seeing the display. City and County staff have also requested this display be present at future community events.

The agent has also had requests from Family & Consumer Sciences teachers, NMSU Community Health and public health students and a local sports rehabilitation center request use of the display.

The agent documented 4,715 nutrition and food safety contacts this year.