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KA 703. Nutrition Education and Behavior (Luna County)

Plan Goal

Improve health of New Mexicans through healthy food choices, food preparation skills and food resource management

Situation Statement

Good nutrition is essential to improve and maintain health. Five of the leading causes of death including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and hypertension have links to diet. Obesity and overweight now affects 57% of New Mexico adults. These individuals are at increased risk of illness from hypertension, lipid disorders, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and certain cancers.
New Mexico has one of the highest rates of poverty in the nation with 18.4% of New Mexicans living below poverty (US Bureau of the Census, 2000). Luna county has a very high rate of poverty with 27.20 % of families and 32.9% of total population living below the poverty level. Low income populations face numerous problems associated with inadequate nutrition. In some cases, children do not eat enough to sustain health and to grow and develop at optimal levels. Even more commonly, individuals make poor food choices, which can lead to chronic disease problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Total costs attributable to obesity-related disease nationally approaches $13 billion annually (NIH). In New Mexico, it is estimated that $324 million are spent annually on adult obesity attributable medical expenditures (New Mexico Department of Health)..
Although benefits such as Food Stamps and WIC provide vital resources to some of those in need of food assistance, this resource is often not maximized. This is often due to recipients’ lack of knowledge of the relationships between health and four areas: basic nutrition, food safety, food preparation, and food resource management. In addition, many limited-resource individuals do not receive the encouragement and reinforcement needed to put such knowledge into practice. Education can help low income families and individuals maximize their resources to improve their nutritional status.

Diabetes:

Of the leading chronic diseases, diabetes is a particular concern in New Mexico. About 130,000 of New Mexicans have diabetes, although half are undiagnosed and do not know they have the disease. According to the New Mexico Dept. of Health, the annual cost to New Mexico for diabetes care is $1.2 billion annually. According to estimates for Luna County, 1 in 10 county residents have diabetes. There is no cure for diabetes, but it can be controlled and complications can be prevented or at least delayed. Simple changes, such as healthier food choices and adding regular physical activity can have a significant effect on the health and well-being of people with diabetes. After a 3 year study,(the New England Journal of Medicine) concluded that 1 case of diabetes out of 7 could be prevented through exercise and diet which translates to a total potential medical cost savings for New Mexico of $140 million annually. Cooperative Extension can help increase the health and well-being of individuals with diabetes in Luna County by offering Kitchen Creations classes and the Keep Moving Keep Healthy physical activity program.
Healthy food choices and meal planning for people with diabetes is provided through Kitchen Creations. Participants are provided hands-on learning opportunities to learn through this program to encourage healthy lifestyle changes. Keep Moving Keep Healthy is a program funded through the Joslin Institute. Physical activity is promoted and encouraged in a positive manner, Involvement in the class shows participants the benefits of physical activity in controlling diabetes.

Target Audience and Actions

Target Audience
-Individuals and families in Luna County, particularly limited resource audiences.
-Spanish and English speaking members of the community.
-Agencies that work with Luna County individuals and families.
-Individuals and families in Luna County who have diabetes or are at risk for developing diabetes and their family members.

Activities

General Nutrition:

-ICAN adult series classes (Targets low income adults, focus is on healthy food choices, food preparation skills, food resource management, food safety and physical activity)
-ICAN youth series classes (Targets low income youth, focus is on healthy food choices, food preparation skills, food safety and physical activity) -Organ Wise Guys ( a nutrition and exercise program targeting elementary school-aged children)

Diabetes:

-Kitchen Creations Diabetes Cooking Schools series classes (Focus is on healthy food choices including balancing low and high carbohydrate foods and food preparations skills) 2 class series per year
-Keep Moving, Keep Healthy with Diabetes (Focus is on increasing exercise in people with diabetes) Diabetes Support Group

Short-Term Objectives

80% of program participants will -increase knowledge of My Pyramid, Dietary Guidelines and Nutrition Facts Labels increase knowledge of food preparation and meal planning -increase knowledge of Diabetes food Guide Pyramid and the 50/50method -increase knowledge of importance of physical activity -increase knowledge of importance of medical tests for diabetes management

Medium-Term Objectives

40% of participants will: -use MyPyramid, Dietary Guidelines and Nutrition Facts Labels to make food choices and plan meals one month after program participation.
-increase fruit and vegetable consumption one month after program participation.
-control portion sizes one month after program participation.
- adopt new food preparation and meal planning techniques one month after program participation.
-use the Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid and 50/50 method.
-get medical tests important for diabetes management.
-increase physical activity

Long-Term Objectives

Evaluation Plan

Evaluation Plan
Short-term: evaluations will be completed by participants imme3diately following program participation
Medium- term: Behavior surveys will be conducted by mail or phone 1-3 months following program