FOOD, DIET AND HEALTH

NEED
Americans follow the recommended dietary guidelines to varying degrees. Certain groups in the population are more limited than others in how they can implement the dietary guidelines as they make daily food choices. The limitations are due to a complex set of personal, family, marketplace, economic, and societal factors. These factors include:
* Constrained marketplace choices due to restricted financial resources.
* Few accessible retail outlets.
* Little experience, and lack of role models to guide decisions about
food selection and preparation techniques.
* Lack of correlation of nutritional information with the food available to the consumer.
* Limited food preparation skills.
* Perceived, and real, impediments to applying nutrition concepts. Examples include: time constraints, family makeup, cultural and ethnic food preferences.
* Inconsistencies in nutritional messages received from health professionals, the media, and paraprofessional educators.
* Limited skills and experience needed to critically evaluate food and nutrition information.
* Inadequate knowledge, and decision making skills, necessary for application of the recommended food guidelines to food choices and lifestyle habits.

RESPONSE
Nutrition education programs, classes and workshops are planned and presented during the year targeting parents, seniors, PTA representatives, and community and civic groups.

Timely articles on food and nutrition topics are submitted to the local paper for publication on a bi-weekly basis.

Objectives of programming include: creating awareness of the dietary guidelines and food guide pyramid; implementing the guidelines into participants' present eating plans; reducing fat and cholesterol in diets; increasing complex carbohydrate intake; food safety issues and seasonal subjects.

RESULTS
Follow-up with participants, in two workshops which focused on the dietary guidelines, provided us with the following feedback on their behavioral changes, based on information provided to them during the workshops:

90% of the respondents had implemented changes in their eating patterns i.e. increasing complex carbohydrate and/or reducing fats in their diet.

80% of the respondents had made changes in their cooking techniques i.e. baking and broiling more often, replacing frying and using egg whites in place of whole eggs.|

80% of the respondents indicated they were reading labels more closely and more often now, checking carefully for hidden sugars and fats.

80% of the respondents had shared information they obtained at the classes with at least one other person. Topic shared most: fats in the diet.

Requests for nutrition information from a "viable resource" has increased from reporters for use in local publications.

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