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KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (Rio Arriba County)

Impact Reports | Plan Details

Plan Goals

Improve health of New Mexico youth participating in the program in Rio Arriba and Taos Counties through healthy food choices, food preparation skills and food resource management.

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KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior

Impact Reports

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Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition Program (ICAN) is the umbrella name used in New Mexico to refer to both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (SNAP ED) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education programs. The primary goal of the ICAN program is to provide individuals with limited resources educational programs that increase the likelihood of all participants making healthy food choices consistent with the most recent dietary advice as reflected in the dietary advice as reflected in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA MyPyramid.

The home economist has oversight and management of the Rio Arriba County ICAN program as one of her areas of responsibility. The ICAN program in Rio Arriba County now employs two three-quarter time nutrition educators, one of which was recently added due to the persistence of the home economist. These educators work under the supervision of the home economist and are charged with teaching and promoting nutrition classes to youth and adult audiences. As part of the home economist responsibilities, she provides training, guidance and supervision of the educators; manages the County ICAN budget; participates in yearly regional or state level conferences to learn of program updates; prepares reports related to program impacts; and evaluates the educator’s performance.
Goals of the newly reinvigorated County-based program include reaching 130 youth and 60 adult graduates. Participants in the program are considered graduates after completing a minimum of four hours of nutrition classes. For FY 10-11 the Rio Arriba County ICAN program exceeded their goals for youth by 273% by graduating 436 youth and exceeded adult goals by 9% by graduating 66 adults.

Adults programs have been delivered at various venues throughout the county. Including the NNMC GED program; NMSU NM Works Life Skills Program; Las Cumbre Child Care Program; Rio Arriba County DWI Juvenile program; and the Espanola County Senior Citizens program. Adult programming included classes to promote eating more fruits and vegetables, food safety, label reading, the importance of physical activity, adult and child serving sizes, and how to make the most of your food dollars.

Individual ICAN county impact results are not made available to counties, but rather are compiled into one state-wide report. However, please see the Just Be It! Healthy and Fit (JBI)section for specific results for youth, as a majority of the JBI participants were also reported for the ICAN program as well.


Just Be It! Healthy and Fit Program

Childhood obesity has been identified as a major health concern throughout the United States. Risk factors for childhood obesity include lack of nutritious food and physical activity, lack of support from the school and home environment to choose appropriate foods and make time to exercise along with too much “screen time”. Poor nutrition and limited physical activity are risk factors for chronic diseases and also play a role in a students’ ability to learn, thereby affecting scholastic success. Childhood obesity has a significant impact on health care costs and the ability to produce a well-educated, prepared work force.

Just Be It! Healthy and Fit (JBI) is a childhood obesity prevention program. Fifth grade students in Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe County have been targeted to receive the program by providing them with knowledge regarding nutrition and physical activity.

In an effort to fight obesity and teach children about healthy lifestyles, Extension Agents from Rio Arriba, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe Counties have implemented the JBI nutrition and fitness field trip experience for fifth grade students. The 2010 field trip began with a JBI Trivia Game -setting the tone for the four - 45-minute workshops: MyPyramid, Vary Your Veggies Focus on Fruits,Power-Up with Exercise, and Fun With Food Facts. These workshops are also aligned to the New Mexico Health and Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks. The Extension agents from each respective county presented in each of three workshops, and the fourth workshop on physical activity was conducted by a PE teacher from Espanola Public Schools. Two field trips were conducted in Espanola, one in Moriarity, one in Santa Fe, and one in Los Alamos.

In Fall of 2010, over 285 students from eight schools in Rio Arriba County participated in the two field trips. In addition, students were provided with a student-parent booklet containing information and activities reinforcing the workshops. Teachers are also provided with a resource kit containing a nutrition curriculum, additional health and nutrition resources and each class received an exercise kit with a variety of fun, fitness items.

Each site was responsible for recruiting volunteers to assist with the field trip program. In the 2010 field trip over 15 volunteers were recruited for the Rio Arriba Program. These volunteers served as workshop presenters, workshop assistants and group leaders. An estimated volunteer contribution for Rio Arriba County was $1500.00. In addition to these volunteers, 15 classroom teachers assisted by supervising youth throughout the day.

Based on the average results from the field trip pre- and post-tests, students indicated an average knowledge gain of 39% by attending this one-day educational field trip. There was knowledge gain for these fifth grade students on nutrition guidelines, choosing healthy snacks, physical activity, food labels, how the media affects food choices, and goal setting after attending this field trip.

Selected results of a survey taken by 13 out of 15 teachers who attended the field trip are as follows: 87% felt that their students' knowledge about health and nutrition definitely increased, and the other 13% felt that it somewhat increased. All but one teacher rated the workshops excellent or good, as well as students perceiving health and nutrition in a more positive light than before the field trip. Comments included: "Loved it!" The students really enjoyed the exercise workshop." "Thank you for informing myself and my students about nutrition and exercise. I learned a lot myself."

Other components of the JBI program include follow-up classroom instruction which includes curriculum development, evaluation regarding behavior change, parent education and evaluation and community awareness of childhood obesity issues. Classroom instruction ran from October through March/April in each county. The agent worked with a total of four classes at Carinos Charter School and Fairview Elementaries and oversaw 11 other classes that attended the field trip. In addition, five other JBI classes were taught throughout the county as well.

In 2010-11, JBI classrooms in Rio Arriba County were taught either by the home economist, nutrition educator, or outside nutrition contractors hired through the USDA CYFAR grant, which was initially received due to the overall success from the first field trip. Over 436 students have been reached during the 2010-2011 school year. Classroom instruction included intense activities to learn about the five food groups, fats, fast food consumer decision making, goal setting, fun ways to exercise including dance pads and numerous other physical fitness activities, as well as food safety, label reading, serving sizes, and healthy snacks.

Knowledge gain is one of the medium-term objectives of the JBI program. In the 2010-2011 school year 286 students participated in the main program, and 243 completed the pre and post tests and increased their nutrition knowledge as a result of receiving nutrition classes during the school year. The 2010-2011 pre-test average score was 9.08% (57%) and the post-test average score was 14.30 (out of a possible 16 points) (89%) showing a 5.22 point gain, or 56% average knowledge gain. The difference in scores was statistically significant (p<.0001).
In addition, pre- and post-tests were administered to students who participated in the in-class instruction at five other schools who were not involved in the field trip. The pre-test average score was 56% and the post test average score was 93% showing a 66% knowledge gain. The agent conducted over 43 JBI classes throughout the school year, and an additional 178 JBI/ICAN classes were conducted by other nutritional educators throughout the school year, and to include summer programs.

Another medium term objective for students to increase their fruit intake was not met, but for vegetable intake, it was met. Students increased their vegetable intake after receiving nutrition classes during the school year. In Rio Arriba County, 240 students completed pre and post surveys on the intake of fruits and vegetables. The pre-test average score for fruit intake was 3.4 and the post-test average score was 3.57. The difference in scores was not statistically significant (p≤.1060). The pre-test average score for eating vegetables was 2.70 and the post-test average score was 3.13. The difference in scores was statistically significant (p≤ .0005) based on a paired t-test.

A third medium term objective was for students to increase their amount of physical activity. This goal was met as well. There was a statistically significant difference for physical activity for the year. In Rio Arriba County, 239 students completed pre and post surveys on physical activity. The pre-test average score was 3.23 and the post-test average score was 3.51. The difference in scores was statistically significant (p≤.0210).

The medium term objective for parents to increase their nutrition knowledge was also met. A set of 11 newsletters were developed by the agent and the other three JBI committee members and sent out to parents of students in the JBI program. Impacts of the newsletter through a survey conducted with parents showed a pre-test score average of 75% and the post-test score average of 94%. There was a 25% average knowledge gain for parents. The return rate for newsletter evaluations was 16% (n=243). (This average gain is the average of newsletters from all three participating counties.) Numerous positive comments were received from families on the program evaluation such as "Because of the JBI program my child learned to eat more fruit and vegetables." My child has learned how to stay healthy and it would be nice to have this program offered in every grade." "My child took this program very serious and lost five pounds by eating better and exercising more." "Learning about how to eat portions was very helpful." "As a result of this program my family is eating better and exercising more."

Further, the long term objective of developing a new JBI childhood obesity curriculum was completed by the JBI committee after five years of research and development in the three participating counties. The committee met numerous times to review, edit, and add additional lesson plans during the past five years. Meetings also included development of workshops and poster sessions, and meetings and communications with the JBI editor, printer and program manager.

Expanding the program to other New Mexico counties also showed progress. Currently one county agent, in addition to the 3 agents working on the project, is using the program. The Just Be It! plan of work appears at http://pow.nmsu.edu/view_template.php?plan_id=31, the New Mexico Extension website and on the web site www.nmcyfar.org. County agents can sign on to participate in the program. The Just Be It! Healthy and Fit curriculum, is now available on DVD and in print form. This curriculum was recently sent to every county in New Mexico who has nutrition programs, as an additional resource. As more Extension agents are trained to deliver the program, more youth and their family members will reduce risk factors for obesity and develop a healthy lifestyle. National presentations on the curriculum and other program components have been made. These presentations assist in providing interest on a national level.
(Progress towards the short-term objectives.)
Permalink - Posted November 9, 2011, 10:13 pm
Other components of the JBI program include follow-up classroom instruction, intensive evaluation regarding behavior change, parent education, and community awareness of childhood obesity issues. Classroom instruction runs from October through April/May in each county. The agent worked with a total of 4 classes and oversaw five other classes conducted by either the ICAN educator or an outside contractor. Approximately 186 students participated in the classroom program. JBI classroom instruction included intense activities to learn about the major food groups, fats, fast food consumer decision making, goal setting, fun ways to exercise including dance pads and numerous other physical fitness activities, as well as food safety, label reading, serving sizes, how the media influences our food choices and healthy snacks. Approximately 88 JBI workshops were delivered during the 2009-2010 school year, with most classes receiving a minimum of 9 classes each.

Knowledge gain is one of the medium-term objectives of the JBI program. Students increased their nutrition knowledge as a result of receiving nutrition classes during the school year. Approximately 186 students in Rio Arriba county participated in the program and 92 completed both the pre and post tests on nutrition knowledge. The pre-survey average score was 8.65 (54%) and the post test average score was 14.64 (out of a possible 16 points) (92%) showing a 5.98 point gain, or 69% knowledge gain. The difference in scores was statistically significant (p=.0001).

In addition, pre and post tests were administered to students who participated in in-class instruction at tive other schools who were not involved in the field trip. The pretest average score was 56% and post test average scores were 93% showing a 66% knowledge gain.

Another medium term objective for students to increase their fruit and vegetable intake was met. Students increased their fruit and vegetable intake after receiving nutrition classes during the school year. The pretest average score for fruits was 2.49 and the post test average score was 3.04 There was a 22% increase in scores and the difference in and the difference in scores was statistically significant (P=.05). The scores for increased vegetable intake was 2.06 for pre tests and the post score was 2.22. The difference in scores was not statistically significant.

Almost all parents and families wrote comments about what they liked best about the program, such as "I was really impressed that she learned so much, that it inspired her to really think about the issues, and that she was moved to discuss, debate, and encourage us to eat better. What an inspiring field trip that must have been! Thanks.

The nutrition educator, under the supervision of the agent conducted the JBI/ICAN program at San Juan, Ojo Caliente, ElRito, Chama, and Gallina Elementary Schools. The agent also hired an outside contractor with grant funds to conduct ICAN/JBI at James H. Rodriguez Elementary School. Impact results are noted in short term goals. Summer programs conducted by the educator included Chama, Canjilon, Dulce, Rio Arriba Cloverbud Day Camp and the Abiquiu Boys and Girls Club. A total of 17 classrooms received the ICAN/JBI programs, and 5 summer programs resulted in reaching 405 youth in ICAN/JBI programs throughout the 2009-2010 year, with 346 ICAN youth graduates. ICAN only programs provided food safety, MyPyramid, milk group, fruit group, vegetable group and information on physical activity.
(Progress towards the medium-term objectives.)
Permalink - Posted October 30, 2010, 2:00 am
ICAN and Just Be It! Healthy and Fit Program (combination program in Rio Arriba county)

The ICAN/Just Be It! Healthy and Fit Program (JBI) promotes healthy lifestyles by reducing risk factors for 5th grade students in 3 counties – Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Los Alamos.

To kick off the program for the 2009-2010 school year, Extension Agents from Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties, as well as staff from Espanola Hospital and Espanola School District, conducted the Just Be it! Healthy and Fit field trip, a tri-county, educational nutrition and fitness school enrichment program offered to fifth graders in each of the named counties. The 2009 field trip began with a JBI Trivia game - setting the tone for the 4 workshops that students attend. The field trip consists of four, 45 minute workshops: MyPyramid, Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits, Power up With Exercise, and Fun with Food Facts. Workshops are aligned to the NM Health Education Standards and Benchmarks. The extension agents from each county presented in each of three workshops, and the 4th workshop on physical activity was conducted by a PE teacher from Espanola Public Schools. Four field trips were conducted at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. In Los Alamos County - 249 students from five elementary schools participated, 163 W, 5 NA, 63 H, 17 A, 1 B. 126 females and 123 males. In Rio Arriba: 106 students from two elementary schools participated, 2 WH, 13 AI, 92 H, 50 male, 56 female. Santa Fe County 106 students participated from one elementary school, 7 w, 2 B, 10 NA, 77 H, 4 Asian. 43 male, 63 female. An additional field triip was offered to schools in southern Santa Fe County and the event was held in Moriarty. Students from this school were comprised of 12H, 2NA, and 40 , 31F, 21M.for a total of 52 students . Students and teachers participating in the field trip also received a student/parent handout developed by Extension agents, containing information and activities about healthy eating, food safety, goal setting and physical fitness. Twenty four teachers from the 3 counties participated in the field trips and received a classroom exercise kit consisting of a variety of physical activity equipment. Teacher classroom resource kits included USDA MyPyramid lessons for grades 5-6, CDC Health Stores, MyPyramid handouts for each student, 4-H pamphlets and other health and nutrition information. A total of 513 students participated in the field trip. Based on the average results from the pre and post tests in participating counties, students indicated an average knowledge gain of 52% by attending this one-day educational field trip. Individual results for Espanola showed a 60% knowledge gain.

The long term objective of expanding the program to other New Mexico counties showed progress. The JBI curriculum is in the final stages of being produced and disseminated to counties. It is expected that county agents will offer the program in their county and show positive results for youth. Presentations on the curriculum were made at the CYFAR conference in San Francisco, the Priester Conference in Alabama, and the NAEFCS conference in Portland,Maine. These presentations assist in providing interest on a national level. The agent took the main responsibility for writing, and organizing the JBI curriculum, although everyone on the JBI committee has contributed. The editing process is almost complete, and will soon progress to the printing stage.

Additionally, the agent hired one JBI nutrition educator as a contractor to reach more schools. This individual reached four additional classes that would not otherwise have been provided. The agent also sought and received approval to hire a new ICAN nutrition educator to further assist in providing programs to such a large county.

Other KidsCan Programs

The program assistant, under the supervision of the agent conducted the JBI program at San Juan,Ojo Caliente, El Rito, Chama, and Gallina Elementary Schools. The agent also hired an outside contractor with grant funds to conduct JBI/ICAN at James H. Rodriguez Elementary school. Impact results are noted above. Summer programs conducted by the nutrition educator included Chama, Canjilon, Dulce, the Cloverbud Day Camp and the Abiquiu Boys and Girls Club. A total 17 classrooms received the JBI/ICAN programs, and 5 summer programs resulted in reaching 405 youth in JBI/ICAN programs throughout the 2009-2010 program year, with 346 ICAN graduates. ICAN only programs provided were food safety, Mypyramid, milk group, fruit group and vegetable group .

ICAN Adult Programs

The agent and nutrition educator provided various adult and senior ICAN programs throughout the year. In the Fall of 2009 five participants received nutrition programs from the Eating Right Is Basic curriculum conducted at the City of Espanola Recreation Center. Through a partnership with New Mexico Works, a program to help provide workforce skils to citizens, the agent conducted three classes in the fall and winter of 2009-2010, with 43 participants. Two classes were conducted with the GED classes at the Northern New Mexico College with three participants. The agent utizilized the Eating Right Is Basic and Loving Your Family Feeding Their Future Curriculum. In the summer of 2010 the nutrition educator conducted classes at the Senior Citizens Center in Chama utilzing the "Eat Smart Live Strong" program for 30 participants. Finally the agent conducted the same program at the Chama Senior Citizens Center for 13 people. A total of 94 adults participated in the Adult ICAN program this year, with 57 graduates.

Health Fairs

The agent and nutrition educator attended the Las Cumbres Health Fair and set up a display with a variety of health and nutrition information in Espanola, approximately 125 people attended.

The nutrition educator attended a health fair conducted by the Embudo Health Center and set up a display about the ICAN program, and provided health and nutrition information to approximately 115 people.

The nutrition educator set up an ICAN/JBI booth at the Rio Arriba County Fair reaching approximately 250 adults and 250 youth..

The nutrition eductor set up the ICAN/JBI display at the Alcalde Field Day. Approximately 175 adults and 10 youth attended.
(Progress towards the short-term objectives.)
Permalink - Posted October 30, 2010, 1:52 am
Kitchen Creations
A total of 785 individuals (White 41%, Hispanic 39%, Native American 17%, African American 1%, Asian American 1%, Other 1%) participated in 45 Kitchen Creations cooking schools in 26 counties during 2009. Classes were team taught by local Extension Home Economists and a health care professional. Four bilingual cooking schools were held during FY09, one in Bernalillo, Dona Ana, Lea, and Luna Counties.

Kitchen Creations cooking schools consist of four, three-hour long lessons. The cooking schools feature current nutrition recommendations for people with diabetes and hands-on food preparation and cooking experiences. Participants completed demographics and knowledge questionnaire and program evaluations at the completion of the cooking school.

Funding for Kitchen Creations is provided in part through a grant from the New Mexico Department of Health ($197,000).


ICAN
Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition Program (ICAN) is the umbrella name used in New Mexico to refer to both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP ED) and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) programs. The primary goal of the ICAN program is to provide individuals with limited resources educational programs that increase the likelihood of all participants making healthy food choices consistent with the most recent dietary advice as reflected in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid.

During FY09 SNAP ED reached 24,964 adults (White 25.1%, African American 2.1%, Native American 14.4%, Asian 0.9%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3%, Hispanic 57.2%) and 37,461 youth (White 16.1%, African American 2.3%, Native American 12.3%, Asian 0.3%, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.1%, Hispanic 58.9%) in 474 sites in New Mexico, including the Zuni Reservation with the following results:

The Adult Behavior Survey is administered in a pre/post format. During FY09 participants indicated a positive change in behaviors on each of the 16 questions.
• 30% increase in comparing prices at the grocery store
• 130% increase in using nutrition labels when deciding what foods to buy
• 66% increase in purchasing healthy items at the grocery store
• 55% increase in preparing healthy meals at home each day
• 71% increase in involving their child in meal preparation each day
• 19% increase in sitting down for family meals
• 48% increase in eating breakfast daily
• 92% increase in eating fruits and vegetables for snacks each day
• 30% increase in drinking water
• 60% increase in performing 30 minutes of physical activity each day
• 44% increase in watching less than 2 hours of television each day
• 122% increase in paying attention to portion size
• 100% increase in eating at least 3 ounces of whole grains each day
• 105% increase in eating at least 4 cups of fruits and vegetable each day
• 80% increase in drinking at least 3 cups from the dairy group each day
• 56% increase in drinking less than one cup of sugary beverages each day

Every item on the adult behavior survey showed substantial change from pre to post. The lowest amount of change was 19%, and the highest was 130%. Some of the items which showed the least change are those that are least emphasized by many of our educators, such as involving children in meal preparation and watching less television. In general, items related directly to nutrition scored highest, except for comparing prices.

Youth Evaluation Results
The Youth Behavior Survey is administered in a pre/post format. During FY09 youth participants indicated a positive change in 11 of the 12 behavior questions. The 12th question remained unchanged.
• 6% increase in eating breakfast each day
• 8% increase in drinking water when thirsty
• 2% increase in performing 30 minutes of physical activity each day
• 9% increase in eating fruits or vegetables for snacks each day
• 0% change in watching less than 2 hours of television each day
• 13% increase in paying attention to portion size
• 23% increase in knowledge about how much to eat from each group of MyPyramid
• 20% increase in knowledge about the importance of calcium
• 100% increase in knowledge about how to properly wash hands
• 133% increase in knowledge about how physical activity improves health
• 21% increase in knowledge about identifying dark green vegetables
• 49% increase in knowledge about calories

Every item on the youth behavior survey showed change from pre to post. The knowledge questions all had higher rates of change than the behavior questions. Among the behavior questions, change was greater on the four nutrition questions than on the two questions related to physical activity. The knowledge questions all show substantial spread.

During FY09 EFNEP reached 929 adults and 2,053 youth in Bernalillo and Dona Ana counties. Fifteen educators provided 16,872 hours of education to graduate 801 adults (White 9%, African American 1%, Native American 3%, Hispanic 86%) and 2,053 youth (White 14%, African American 6%, Native American 3%, Hispanic 75%).

Two evaluation tools are used with the adult EFNEP population – a 24-hour food recall and a 10-question Behavior Change questionnaire. The following results were reported using the 24-hour food recall:
• 11.1% increase in intake of grains
• 33.3% increase in intake of fruits
• 18.2% increase in intake of vegetables
• 30.8% increase in intake of milk
• 12.1% increase in intake of meats & beans

A summary of the nutrient adequacy ratio or protein, iron, calcium, vitamin A, C, and B6 show an increase of 16.7%.

The 10-question Behavior Change Questionnaire shows the following results:
• 47% improved in the area of planning meals
• 41% improved in the area of comparing prices
• 41% improved in having food o the month
• 47% improved in using a grocery list
• 40% improved in following recommended guidelines for letting foods sit out
• 57% improved in thawing foods properly
• 41% improved in providing health food choices for their families
• 41% improved in preparing foods without adding salt
• 55% improved in using the Nutrition Facts label to make food choices
• 41% improved in providing breakfast for their children

Funding for SNAP ED is provided from USDA/FNS through New Mexico Human Services Department, Income Support division for $2,022,785. An equal dollar amount of math comes from New Mexico State University.

Funding for EFNEP is provided through a grant from USDA/CSREES for $589,841.

Funding for these programs is also provided through the New Mexico Legislature for $200,000.

General Nutrition
In addition to the funded series of nutrition education classes, home economist around the state conducted a variety of programs to meet the needs of the individuals in their counties. Classes included both one-time programs and mini-series classes that were taught in schools, senior centers, activity centers, and churches. Topics included: snacks, gifts, nutrition and health, food safety, grilling, feeding your newborn, feeding your young child, and food preservation.

Food preservation and food safety remain the most consistently taught courses in the state. The need for families to have safe food at affordable cost will continue to be a priority for teaching and training in the coming year.

Funding for some of these programs is provided by two grants through the New Mexico Department of Health ($50,000)
(Progress towards the short-term objectives.)
Permalink - Posted December 30, 2009, 3:30 pm
(From KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior)
Short Term Objective
The short-term objective of knowledge gain for students attending a one-day field trip, held September 2008, was met. There was a knowledge gain for fifth grade students on nutrition guidelines, making healthy snacks, physical activity, and goal setting after attending workshops at a one-day educational field trip.

In 2008, 134 students from four schools in Rio Arriba County participated. Pre and post knowledge tests for the day-long program showed a 23% knowledge gain for the students.
(Progress towards the short-term objectives.)
Permalink - Posted October 9, 2009, 7:21 pm
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