KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (Chaves County)

Kitchen Creation-Diabetic Cooking School is offered every year for clientele of Chaves County. When dates are decided upon, a flyer is mailed to those on a waiting list first then it is advertised in the local newspaper, extension newsletters, and flyers that have been distributed around town. Thirty diabetics and their support person attended the four series of classes. The home economist along with a Registered Dietician from Eastern New Mexico Medical Center instructed the participants on key concepts from the Kitchen Creation curriculum. At the time of the first class, participants had a limited knowledge about their disease, food choices, label reading, portion control, 50/50 plate, diabetic pyramid, and menu planning. At the end of the series, participants gained knowledge in these areas and applied this knowledge in their lives. 85% of the participants learned from the hands-on cooking approach offered in this class and went home excited for the next class.

“Healthy, Easy Meals” was a program that was delivered as an Extension Leader’s Training. Two members from each club attended the training and then presented it to their club members resulting in 98 participants being trained in this subject matter. Participants gained knowledge in healthy food choices, meal planning, food preparation, portion sizes, and recipe adjustments.

The home economist along with a Certified Dietitian offered the Kitchen Creations-Diabetic Cooking School in Chaves County. Twenty-nine diabetics and their support person attended the four series. At the first class, participants had a limited knowledge about their disease and after the fourth class left with a better understanding of how to manage it through healthy food choices, meal planning, cooking and exercise. Participants learned about the diabetic food guide pyramid, 50/50 method, healthy food choices, serving sizes, food preparation, menu planning, reading nutrition labels and physical activity. The home economist distributed pedometers to the class, which helped to encourage exercise. Participants turned in a walking log after the 4 weeks.

ICAN Nutrition Program is an integral part of the nutrition education provided to citizens of Chaves County. The Home Economist provides support to two ICAN Nutrtion Educators who teach a series of four to eight nutrition classes to youth and adults in schools and outside of the school setting. Some of the sites where nutrition education classes have been taught include: Head Start, Roswell Independent Schools, GED Classes, ESL Classes, Family Resource and Referral, Teen Pregnancy Center, Housing Division, ISD and Job Corp. Participants increase their knowledge in health food choices, food preparation skills, food resource management and food safety.

Shannon Wooton has signed on to support KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior within Chaves County.