| Nutrition Education |
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FDA Publishes New Consumer Tools for Label Reading
Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have developed two new tools to help consumers use the Nutrition Facts Label on foods. The first, a web-based module called “ Make Your Calories Count” discusses serving size, calories per serving and why it’s important to read a facts label; it even walks consumers through steps to making healthy choices. Specifically, the program recommends limiting intake of saturated fat and sodium and consuming fiber and calcium in adequate amounts by reviewing “% Daily Value” on food labels. The program reminds consumers that, “It’s more than just calories, it’s also the nutrients that count.”
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New Federal Physical Activity Guidelines
The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that federal physical activity guidelines will be released in late 2008. The Physical Activity Guidelines will summarize the latest knowledge about activity and health with specific information about population subgroups such as seniors and children. The government routinely makes recommendations about exercise. Current recommendations encourage adults to engage in at least thirty minutes of daily physical activity, sixty minutes to prevent weight gain, and ninety minutes to promote weight loss. The new guidelines would establish a process to regularly evaluate the latest science on physical activity.
To learn more visit www.hhs.gov/news/press/2006pres/20061026.html
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Mom-RD
Mom-RD is a new program developed by Wendy’s in conjunction with the American Dietetic Association that provides moms with personalized help from registered dietitians. According to its interactive Web site, Mom-RD “provides moms with useful information that empowers them to make smarter choices when it comes to feeding their families.” The Web site includes articles, tips and tools, nutrition guidelines, polls and “Ask Mom-RD”—a page where consumer’s questions are answered by the featured dietitians/moms.
Check out Mom-RD at www.mom-rd.com/
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Legislation Supporting Local Produce Signed by Governor
Before the current session of the General Assembly went out of business, it sent on to Governor Rendell two pieces of legislation in support of Pennsylvania-grown produce. The Governor has signed both.
Senate Bill 1209, authored by Mike Waugh from York County and Shirley Kitchen from Philadelphia County, establishes the Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools Program in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Under the Program, PDA will award grants of up to $15,000 per school to support the education of kindergarten children and their families “about the importance of choosing healthy, locally produced food.” Funding may be used for student nutrition education, teacher preparation, field trips to area farms, educational activities for parents and arrangements with local growers to provide food for consumption in school.
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| PA NEN Member Initiatives |
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Pennsylvania FCCLA Members Impact Communities with Nutrition Education Projects
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a Career and Technical Student Organization designed for students taking Family and Consumer Sciences classes, prepares family leaders by empowering youth to address the real-life situations and issues that interest and concern them. Engaged in meaningful, student-directed projects, members develop skills for life through character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communications, practical knowledge, and career preparation. In the process, they learn to cooperate, take responsibility, develop leadership skills, and serve others.
Student Body is a national FCCLA peer education program that helps young people learn to “Eat Right, Be Fit and Make Healthy Choices.” The goals of the program are to help young people make informed, responsible decisions about their health and to provide youth with the opportunity to teach others and develop healthy lifestyles, as well as to develop communication and leadership skills.
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Pennsylvania Beef Council
Through services and materials, the Pennsylvania Beef Council provides educational expertise on “gate to plate” topics, including food safety and nutrition. Under the direction of a farmer and an industry representative board of directors, staff with degrees in nutritional science and agricultural science work together to provide resources for producing safe and nutritious food and maintaining a balanced diet.
Numerous beef councils employ registered dietitians to implement programs in their states. In Pennsylvania, the nutritionist interacts mainly with professionals—e.g. nutritionists, physicians, family and consumer science teachers, extension educators, etc.—but also with consumers at health events such as blood drives and health fairs. The nutritionist also provides support as needed to staff who interact with farmers, retailers, food service directors, chefs, and a wide variety of consumers at events.
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PANA Plans Great Things in the Year Ahead
Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA) is charging full steam ahead into 2007 with a lineup of valuable programs and activities, as well as the unveiling of an exciting new youth-based cause campaign: NRG – Powered by Choice. PANA is a statewide coalition of various public and private partners working with schools and communities to help promote healthy eating and physical activity through implementation of the Pennsylvania Nutrition & Physical Activity Plan.
This article includes basic information on many of these items, but your best source for more about NRG and all the other latest PANA news and developments is our next Satellite Program Update on January 23 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration is free; just go to PANA’s Web site at www.panaonline.org/programs/khz/satellite/index.php. You can choose from twenty-nine site locations across Pennsylvania, and Act 48 hours are available.
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Study on Intergenerational Approaches to Nutrition Education Receives National Award
A team consisting of Penn State researchers (and PA NEN members) Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D., Lynn James, M.S., R.D., L.D.N. and Nancy Ellen Kiernan Ph.D., received the 2006 “Program Excellence through Research Award” from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences for their research on how youth, their parents and grandparents discuss issues related to eating healthfully (and unhealthfully). PA NEN members were given an early look at this research during a free interactive workshop held in September of 2005 (http://panen.psu.edu/Newsletter/fall05/fall05fft.htm).
The team’s research was published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (2006, Vol. 38, pages 298-306) in an article entitled: “Intergenerational Family Conversations and Decision Making about Eating Healthfully.” Funding for the study was provided by Pennsylvania Nutrition Education TRACKS as part of USDA’s Food Stamp Program.
Congratulations to Matt, Lynn and Nancy!
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| PA NEN Updates |
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Save the Date!!
Strengthening the Food Resource Safety Net Annual Conference
Mark your calendars for Strengthening the Food Resource Safety Net to be held May 14–15, 2007 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network, in collaboration with Pennsylvania Nutrition Education TRACKS and Penn State's Department of Nutrition Sciences in the College of Health and Human Development, are pleased to welcome acclaimed speaker Ellyn Satter to this year’s event!
Ellyn Satter, MS, RD, LCSW, BCD is a family therapist and feeding and eating specialist. Satter’s books, journal and magazine articles, teaching materials, seminars and media interviews have made her well-known to the lay public, professionals and the media as a leading authority on feeding dynamics and eating competence. Satter specializes in psychodynamic psychotherapy and in the symptom management of eating disorders and established eating and feeding problems in adults and children.
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PA NEN Nutrition Education Database
The PA NEN is proud to debut a new feature on its Web site: the PA NEN Nutrition Education Database! Our goal is to build, with your help, a state-wide, web-based database listing those nutrition education programs that serve the low-income audience. This database will provide at-a-glance information that can be used to find educational programs in specific locations. It will also be utilized to locate gaps in services and to reveal agencies that could be linked together to more efficiently provide service to those in need.
We are currently collecting program information. If you would like to add your nutrition education program to our database, please visit www.pahunger.org/panen/ to input your information. Once we receive an adequate number of entries, we will launch the database on the members-only portion of our Web site.
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SNAP Vegetable-of-the-Month Evaluation
The Pennsylvania State Nutrition Action Plan (SNAP) works to promote fruits and vegetables to low-income Pennsylvanians through a Vegetable-of-the-Month campaign. Based on nutrient-density, cost and availability, materials of twelve different vegetables have been posted on the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network Web site. The posted materials include newsletters, flyers, brochures, bookmarks, activities, recipes, and bulletin boards.
The PA SNAP team has created a survey to find out what YOU think about the materials. If you have used them, please go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=11312727641 and complete a short ten- to fifteen-minute survey. Your responses will be used to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption by low-income Pennsylvanians, as well as help direct the future of the State Nutrition Action Plan in Pennsylvania.
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FSNE Updates for Fiscal Year 2007
Pennsylvania Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) is on track for Fiscal Year 2007, with the state plan approved by the start of the new fiscal year (October 1, 2006). The official name of the FSNE Management Entity (ME), formerly Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program (PA NEP), has changed to Pennsylvania Nutrition Education TRACKS (TRACKS). This new name reflects the programming tracks that guide FSNE programming in Pennsylvania and provides a unique identity for the program. Sixteen local projects will deliver FSNE programming across forty-four Pennsylvania counties during FY 2007. Eight of these counties—Jefferson, Clarion, Venango, Crawford, Warren, McKean, Wayne and Pike—will be offering FSNE programming for the first time.
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FSNE Fiscal Year 2008 Request for Application Now Available
The Pennsylvania Food Stamp Nutrition Education FY 2008 Request for Application is now available at www.patracks.org/public/fy08rfa.cfm. This page contains links to general information, descriptions of FSNE programming tracks and all instructions, forms and templates necessary for completing the application.
Notice of intent to apply must be made to the TRACKS Management office by January 12, 2007. A mandatory training will be held for all new projects on Thursday, January 18 in State College.
For more information, please contact the TRACKS Management office at PAtracks@psu.edu or (814) 863-0074 .
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Research Update - Formative Research
Nutrition educators conduct formative research to identify the interests, behaviors, and needs of their target audience. The information gleaned from the research enables educators to make sound decisions when developing nutrition education programs and increases the likelihood of successful interventions. Knowledge of barriers to healthy eating, key motivators, and typical eating habits and food-related choices of the target audience can guide development of nutrition messages and educational strategies. Pilot testing messages with the intended audience provide feedback on relevance.
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Committee Corner - TRACKS Committee
The official name of the Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Program (PA NEP) has changed to Pennsylvania Nutrition Education TRACKS. As such, the PA NEP Committee has also changed its name to the TRACKS Committee. The committee is comprised of representatives from three PA TRACKS internal projects (within the Penn State Cooperative Extension system) and three PA TRACKS sub-contractors. This committee deals with the operating issues of the projects and helps support the Management Entity with open discussion on the issues, offering recommendations to the TRACKS manager.
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