UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 3, Page 3
September 17, 1992
Improving nutrition; EFNEP offers health tips to assist urban,
rural poor
EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) has been to
summer camp, and is now "back to school," teaching families and
individuals in disadvantaged areas about nutrition and health and the
services available to them.
The statewide program is administered by Claudia Holden,
extension specialist II in Cooperative Extension and state coordinator
for EFNEP.
The summer camp was held in all three counties in state parks and
community centers, for three-day sessions, for approximately 900
children, aged 9 through 12, with 50 13- and 14-year-old teenagers
acting as volunteer counselors, Holden said.
The campers learned about nutrition in a fun way. One speaker
brought about 30 cheeses to show the campers; on another day they
learned to sculpture fruits and became acquainted with kiwis, mangoes
and papayas. Another activity was decorating apples with peanut butter
and raisins and eating the edible results.
Each day the students ate a good lunch that also was good for
them. Other activities included swimming, crafts, hikes on nature
trails, making terrariums and learning about bicycle safety. They also
learned socialization skills, Holden said.
This fall, EFNEP will enroll adults in its courses. "One
advantage of EFNEP is that we reach the rural poor, as well as those
in urban areas.
These families have limited resources to feed, clothe, house and
educate their children, and at the national and state level, it is
acknowledged that EFNEP has made a difference in the lives of those in
rural communities. We try to teach them about nutrition and a healthy
life style, so that families can get the maximum benefit from what is
available to them," Holden said.
For example, one woman with six small children learned to stretch
her food stamps to last all month and is feeding her family nutritious
meals and snacks, instead of chips and candy, with even a little money
leftover at the end of the month.
Statistics gathered at the end of March 1992 showed that in past
six months 552 Delaware families were enrolled in EFNEP and increased
their awareness of diet and health.
When entering the program, 59 percent consumed no dairy products.
Upon completing the course, 100 percent consumed one serving per day,
and 85 percent consumed the recommended two servings. Only 15 percent
consumed the recommended servings from the vegetable/fruit group; at
completion 91 percent were having four or more servings. Based on
24-hour dietary recalls, it was determined that 78 percent of the
EFNEP graduates consumed diets that met the minimum, recommended
servings of the food groups.
Since 67 percent of those participating in EFNEP are in the Food
Stamp Program, EFNEP teaches families how to maximize the use of food
stamps in terms of healthy food choices, Holden said.
EFNEP has seven trained aides who present the program. Genelle
Homer and Leonor Ortiz serve New Castle County; Sandra Thomas and
Alberta Crapper serve Kent County; and Henrietta Watson, Tanya Roach
and Mary Jennings serve Sussex County.
These women are familiar with the neighborhoods they serve and
are respected and trusted members of the community, Holden said.
Clients enrolled in EFNEP come from neighborhood centers,
churches or are referrals by other agencies. Of those enrolled in
EFNEP, 40 percent were involved in the WIC (Women, Infants and
Children) program, for example. In some instances, aides go door to
door to enlist their neighbors.
"We also piggyback with other programs, such as Brown Bag Clubs,
where clients get food at reduced cost, the Food Bank of Delaware,
Head Start programs, and the Kiwanis Girls Club program for pregnant
teens. We reenforce the importance of good health and eating right,"
Holden said.
A five-day training conference for aides was held in February
with a variety of speakers, including Sue Snider, extension specialist
III, who provided nutrition training each day.
"Nutrition is an evolving science, and we try to keep up with the
latest developments," Holden said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a Food Guide
Pyramid for healthy eating.
At the top are the items that should be eaten in limited
quantities, such as fats and sodium, then comes dairy products and
meat and fish (two to three servings per day), followed by fruits and
vegetables (five to nine servings a day). The base of the pyramid is
bread, fiber and cereal products (six to eleven servings per day).
"The pyramid is a useful visual tool for teaching clients about
nutrition in a way they will remember," Holden said.
"Our basic goal in EFNEP is to promote good health and prevent
disease by teaching our clients about nutrition guidelines and
encouraging healthy life styles," Holden said.
-Sue Swyers Moncure