Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-96).

A six-week nutrition education program was designed for adult African Americans and pilot-tested in one church in Farmville, Virginia. The content of this program was determined from health topics selected by the participants and based on Healthy People 2000 objectives. The topics selected were the following: 1. Hypertension Prevention and Control 2. Stress Management 3. Heart Healthy Eating and 4. Nutrition and Cancer Prevention. The Food Guide Pyramid also was incorporated into the program. Effectiveness for improving health knowledge was determined using pre-tests and a post-test, while improvements in short-term behavior pertaining to dietary intake were described by the participants themselves. Anthropometric measurements, three day diet records and a health risk appraisal were obtained from participants. In addition, the program itself and the data collected were evaluated based on several Healthy People 2000 objectives. Attendance at each session ranged from seven to twelve participants. A paired t-test indicated that no significant improvement took place in health knowledge based on the pre-test and post-test scores. However, comprehension of the Food Guide Pyramid was judged to be very good and behavioral improvement was suggested by the participants with regard to lowering their intake of sodium and fat and increasing their intake of fruit. Dietary intake from three day food records was analyzed based on the number of servings consumed from each food group in the Food Guide Pyramid This analysis indicated that only one person was meeting the minimum recommendations made by the Food Guide Pyramid. Data from eleven pre-intervention diet records indicated that over half of the group was not meeting 70 percent of the RDA for pantothenic acid, copper, and zinc. However, all eleven diet records indicated that at least 70 percent of the RDA was being met for Vitamin C, iron and magnesium. Anthropometric measurements indicated that five participants were within their desirable weight range, while five were slightly overweight and five were classified as obese according to their desirable weight ranges. Seven participants had systolic blood pressure values greater than 140 mm Hg, two of whom also had diastolic values greater than 90 mm Hg. / Master of Science

A MATTER OF NATIONAL CONCERN examines the Kennedy Administration’s contribution to the restoration of public education in Prince Edward County, Virginia, and determines if those actions support the dominant narrative of Kennedy’s overall civil rights record – a historical assessment generally generated from a few acute crises. For five consecutive years (1959-1964), in defiance of federal court orders, the county board of supervisors refused to levy taxes to operate public schools, marking Prince Edward County as the only locale in the nation without free public education. The county leadership organized a segregated private school system for the 1,400 white children, but afforded no formal education for the 1,700 African American students. The Kennedy Administration inherited the Prince Edward County school situation – a crisis that threatened to cripple a generation, and, if replicated, destroy public education. In the Prince Edward County school dilemma, the Kennedy Administration took proactive measures, proved sympathetic to the plight of African Americans, challenged Virginia’s congressional delegation, and appointed federal judges that supported President Kennedy’s civil rights agenda. The Prince Edward County story generally, and the federal government’s actions specifically, have been virtually overlooked by historians. A MATTER OF NATIONAL CONCERN challenges scholars to re-evaluate the Kennedy Administration’s civil rights record by including all of the civil rights events of the Kennedy years, thus developing a thorough, comprehensive assessment. A MATTER OF NATIONAL CONCERN is the product of the study of unpublished archival documents, oral histories, interviews, newspaper reports, and secondary sources. This work was created using Microsoft Word 2003.