In 2005, the Institute of Medicine recommended major revisions in the food packages provided by the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), leading to new regulations that allow participants to purchase a wide variety of fruits and vegetables with their vouchers. In support of this policy change, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperative Extension (UCCE) developed educational materials to promote fresh produce among WIC participants and offered postharvest handling training at WIC-only stores, known as A-50 vendors, in order to improve produce quality. A survey conducted after the educational sessions found that WIC participants had increased knowledge of produce and A-50 vendors showed improved postharvest handling after the education sessions. This research demonstrates that combining nutrition education with postharvest handling curriculum can lead to a successful educational program that supports increased demand among WIC participants for fresh produce.

MyPlate, the iconic representation of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is abstract for many low-income parents.1 The need to translate this graphic into concrete meal images suitable for this audience is supported by information-processing theories.2 These theories are particularly relevant for the educational environment for low-literate clients participating in federal assistance programs such as the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Head Start. Representative color photographs provide the most realistic impression to facilitate understanding abstract concepts.3 Realistic color photographs are the preferred choice of low-literate audiences.3,4

Objective: To determine the validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults in California.Methods: A convenience sample of adults was recruited for cognitive interviews. A mail-based survey of 400 randomly selected addresses was used to assess internal consistency (Cronbach alpha). Researchers assessed content validity (Student t test) and test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation) in a convenience sample of university students who had previously taken a college nutrition course, compared with students who had not.Results: Twenty adults participated in cognitive interviews, 94 adults returned the mailed questionnaire, and 48 university students participated in validity and reliability testing. Cronbach alpha = .91 and test-retest r = 0.95, demonstrating internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. Students who had taken a college-level nutrition course scored significantly higher compared with students who had not (P < .001), demonstrating construct validity.Conclusions and Implications: Findings show that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable nutrition knowledge measure for use in California and may be of use in other places.

The prevalence of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in California is higher among low-income minority populations than white affluent populations. A combination of environmental factors, including a lack of access to healthy foods and nutrition education2—and safe drinking water—likely contribute to these disparities. Decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is key to preventing obesity and nutrition-related chronic disease. However, perceptions of unsafe tap water, especially among Latinos, are associated with higher SSB consumption.3 To understand these challenges in agricultural immigrant communities, we are investigating the health of participants in the Ninos Sanos, Familia Sana (Healthy Children, Healthy Family) program, as well as the water systems serving them.

To increase fruit and vegetable consumption, the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) distributes cash vouchers to low-income women with children to buy fruits and vegetables. The program reaches almost half of the infants and one-quarter of children under 5 years old in the United States. UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) conducted a survey of produce preferences and buying habits among WIC participants in Tulare, Alameda and Riverside counties in 2010 to guide the development of a farm-to-WIC program that would connect small local growers to the WIC market. Based on the results, the UCCE team developed a list of 19 produce items to promote in a possible new farm-to-WIC program.

Participants will understand the role of the parent component in a cafeteria education intervention to increase School Breakfast participation.

Participants will understand the methodology used to develop and test client-driven Plate Method visuals and messages.

Identify steps involved in developing a program to increase utilization of regionally-grown fruits and vegetables in a WIC population.

To evaluate Healthy, Happy Families, an 8-lesson experiential learning curriculum designed to help parents learn positive parenting skills that promote healthy development and healthy feeding relationships with preschool-aged children.

School foodservice offers an ideal yet underutilized setting for experiential learning around food for children and for engaging parents in modeling healthy eating at home. The goal of the Nutrition Education in School Foodservice project was to take advantage of the potential of school foodservice settings to positively influence children's eating—both at school and at home. A toolkit was designed and pilot-tested for use in elementary schools, particularly those serving low-income populations. Providing foodservice staff with training and materials was instrumental in promoting the use of the foodservice setting for nutrition education.

OBJECTIVE:Investigate the impact of a nutrition education program on student academic performance as measured by achievement of education standards.DESIGN:Quasi-experimental crossover-controlled study.SETTING:California Central Valley suburban elementary school (58% qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch).PARTICIPANTS:All sixth-grade students (n = 84) in the elementary school clustered in 3 classrooms.INTERVENTION:9-lesson intervention with an emphasis on guided goal setting and driven by the Social Cognitive Theory.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Multiple-choice survey assessing 5 education standards for sixth-grade mathematics and English at 3 time points: baseline (T1), 5 weeks (T2), and 10 weeks (T3).ANALYSIS:Repeated measures, paired t test, and analysis of covariance.RESULTS:Changes in total scores were statistically different (P < .05), with treatment scores (T3 - T2) generating more gains. The change scores for 1 English (P < .01) and 2 mathematics standards (P < .05; P < .001) were statistically greater for the treatment period (T3 - T2) compared to the control period (T2 - T1).CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS:Using standardized tests, results of this pilot study suggest that EatFit can improve academic performance measured by achievement of specific mathematics and English education standards. Nutrition educators can show school administrators and wellness committee members that this program can positively impact academic performance, concomitant to its primary objective of promoting healthful eating and physical activity.

Providing nutrition education instruction in schools is becoming increasingly difficult because of increased emphasis on the preparation of students for standardized testing. 1 California Department of Education2005 Academic Performance Index Base Report Information Guide. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/documents/infoguide05b.pdfDate: 2008 Google Scholar Higher priority core subjects often push out even the shortest of nutrition lessons. Nutrition educators will need to work with the current school priorities by aligning academic content standards with the nutrition education curriculum, evaluating academic performance, 2 Shilts MK, Lamp C, Horowitz M, Townsend MS. Pilot study: Eatfit impacts 6th graders' academic performance on achievement of mathematics and English education standards. J Nutr Educ Behav: in Press. Google Scholar and then preparing promotional materials for school administrators and wellness committee members. 3 Shilts M.K. Horowitz M. Davidson C. Townsend M.S. (Chao LK, designer) Eatfit: promoting academic achievement. http://efnep.ucdavis.edu/EatfitMarketing.html Google Scholar Although many nutrition educators feel comfortable developing, evaluating, and promoting the nutrition benefits of their curricula, doing the same with academic content standards may be a new concept. This GEM outlines an 8-step process that can be used to document achievement of academic content standards. This process could be used with any curriculum. References to specific materials in this article are meant as examples. Documenting and promoting standards achievement may be the key to survival of nutrition education programs in schools. 2 Shilts MK, Lamp C, Horowitz M, Townsend MS. Pilot study: Eatfit impacts 6th graders' academic performance on achievement of mathematics and English education standards. J Nutr Educ Behav: in Press. Google Scholar

Research indicates that child overweight stems from many sources, including parent-child interactions and parenting styles. Focus groups with nutrition educators were used to explore the need for parenting resources in nutrition education. Results revealed that both parents and educators see parenting and family interaction patterns as barriers to implementing changes in children's eating behaviors. Further, nutrition educators reported feeling unprepared to guide parents when making changes in children's nutrition. Discussion focuses on recommendations for providing parents and educators with researched-based information on child development and effective family interactions related to nutrition and health behaviors.

Links between poverty and obesity may be mediated by food purchase decisions. Price and the family not feeling hungry are two leading motivators of food purchase decisions. The Dietary Guidelines (DG) provide recommended servings but do not consider purchase price. The Food Stamp (FS) Program uses the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) to support access to nutritious diets on a limited budget. The TFP is adjusted for changes in national budget but not regional differences and few families receive the maximum allocation. Although the DG and TFP provide unit amounts for consumption, FS allocations do not consider original supermarket unit amount that must be initially purchased. This study examined actual market food unit prices required to meet DG and TFP for a family of four for one week. Prices were collected in four California counties in a chain supermarket and a market frequented by FS recipients. Food unit prices varied slightly by county and type of market with most variation being foods with short shelf-lives. The average monthly FS allotment in California for a family of four is $178 and it is evident in all counties, the price of actual market units to comply with DG and the TFP would meet or exceed average monthly allotments within 2 weeks. This may impact food purchase decisions to less nutritious sources during the last weeks of the food stamp cycle.

The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among pre-school age children remains relatively high in some areas across the United States. Determination of factors associated with iron deficiency (ID) is needed to allow children with identifiable risk factors to receive appropriate education, testing and follow-up. Children (12–36 mo) were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in 2 California counties (cross-sectional, convenience sample). Multiple logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with anemia (hemoglobin<110 g/L at 12–24 mo, <111 g/L at 24–36 mo) and ID (≥2 out of 3 abnormal values for ferritin ≤8.7 μg/L, transferrin receptors ≥8.4 μg/mL, transferrin saturation ≤13.2%), controlling for age, sex and ethnicity. Current WIC participation and greater rate of weight gain were negatively, and current maternal pregnancy was positively associated with anemia. Maternal WIC participation during pregnancy and child age were negatively while being male, living in an urban location, and <125 ml/d juice (orange/tomato) intake were positively associated with ID. Factors identified will be included in an educational intervention focused on reducing the risk factors for ID and IDA among young children. Supported in part by grants from the USDAERS and FSNEP.

Food security is defined as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. In a study of 212 low-income Latino households in California, 45% were food insecure without hunger; 13% food insecure with moderate hunger; and 3% food insecure with severe hunger. Food insecurity was associated with a decline in household supplies of both nutritious and less nutritious foods. Among preschool children, the number of servings per day of all food groups was significantly correlated with household food supplies. A strong safety net to improve food security in low-income populations must include educational strategies and provision of nutritious foods to support a good diet at home and away from home.