Note: This site is for reviewing legacy plan of work data from 2007-2011. If you are looking for the current plan of work interface, visit pow.nmsu.edu.

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

Impact Reports | Plan Details

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Plan Goal

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.

Situation Statement

Good nutrition is essential to improve and maintain health.
Youth as well as adults should be targeted so nutrition related disease and obesity can be prevented. Nationally, overweight in children has tripled in the last 20 years. In New Mexico, 24% of high school students are overweight or at risk for overweight and 22% of low-income children between 2-5 years of age who participate in federally-funded nutrition programs are overweight or at risk for overweight (New Mexico Department of Health). Approximately 25% of New Mexico children below the age of 18 live in poverty. This number has grown over the last 10 years. Reaching New Mexico youth early in life with effective nutrition education will promote the adoption of healthy eating and food management practices. Establishing healthy habits early in life can have life long benefits in optimal health and disease prevention. Further, children are an ideal target for nutrition education in terms of habits being more amenable to change than later in life. Key tools for use in nutrition education by Extension include USDA’s MyPyramid, Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005), and the Nutrition Facts Label.

Target Audience and Actions

Rio Arriba and Taos County youth who participate with the program.
Agencies that work with youth.
Native Americans, Spanish-speaking and anglo residents of referenced counties.

ICAN youth series classes (targets low income youth, focus is on healty food choices, food preparations skills, food safety and physical activity)

Short-Term Objectives

40% of participating students will increase knowledge of nutrition information.

40% of participanting students will increase knowledge of the importance of physical activity.


40% of participanting students will plan to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

40% of participating fifth grade students will improve their nutritional intake during the school year.

40% of participanting fifth grade students will plan to increase physical activity.

Medium-Term Objectives

40% of participating students will maintain their knowledge level on nutrition guidelines,making healthy snacks, physical activity, and goal setting at the end of the school year after the completion of education program.

40% of participating students will maintain the improvement in their nutritional intake at the end of the school year after the completion of the education program.

40% of students will increase physical activity.

Long-Term Objectives

Evaluation Plan

Pre/post knowledge tests will be used to determine level of knowledge gained or lost by students. Knowledge level at the beginning of the year will be compared to knowledge level at the end of the school year.