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Nutrition problems have been given much consideration in recent years. Today, when devastated areas of Europe are suffering from hardships due to the lack of sufficient food, the whole world is acutely aware of foods and nutrition problems. It is necessary, in order to improve the world food picture, that the need of each country be understood and the available foods used to meet needs without waste, either from the standpoint of economy or nutritional well-being. Agricultural and home economics workers in Puerto Rico have felt the necessity of teaching the people of their country methods to improve the quality and quantity of food products. The Puerto Rican people need to learn how to get the most from their soil, how to use fertilizers, and how to conserve the value of the soil. Much has already been accomplished in this work, but it is necessary to obtain more interest on the part of the people in improving their production and use of food. In addition to learning improved methods of production and conservation, the people of Puerto Rico need to emphasize wise use of the available food products. Many foods are available because Puerto Rico has a rich soil, and with the aid of only a small amount of fertilizer, many products may be grown. Vegetables and fruits may be produced throughout the year in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the people. This makes it possible to have an adequate intake of vitamins A and C, if they eat available foods. Of course, the amount of sunlight the year around gives an ample supply of vitamin D. (Rickets due to deficiency of vitamin D is almost unknown.) In spite of the fortunate geographical position which makes the production of many foods possible, the people still need much information about the best methods of preparing and preserving this food. Home economists in extension work must make continued efforts to plan programs to meet the needs of the Puerto Rican people. Those who are responsible for choosing and preparing foods must be given more knowledge of foods and nutrition and thus improve the nutritional status of the people and use well the available foods. In order to develop new plans that would aid the extension program of one area, much can be learned from a study of methods in use elsewhere. For that reason, this study of extension work in foods and nutrition in the southern United States was begun. In studying the foods and nutrition extension work of the southern United States and Puerto Rico, as much information as possible was secured from the library. In order to augment this material, a questionnaire was sent to extension foods and nutrition specialists working in the southern states of the United states. This questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the type of work done, the methods used, and the success of these methods. A copy of the questionnaire may be found in the appendix. From the foods and nutrition extension information obtained from other states, a comparison is made with the Puerto Rican extension work, and some plans based upon this study for furthering the work in Puerto Rico are presented. Information from this study, it is hoped, may be useful to the author upon returning to a position in foods and nutrition extension in Puerto Rico. In this study, it was thought advisable to give brief consideration of the nature of extension work in general, and emphasize the work of specialists, especially the work of foods and nutrition specialists. In order to develop the problem, it has been necessary to explain at some length the extension work and its background in Puerto Rico. Only with a clear picture of the Puerto Rican conditions, accomplishments and future needs, is it possible to see relationship between extension in this country and the southern United states and apply ideas gained from the study in plans for future extension work. It is hoped from this study to (1) Study the food and nutrition needs of the people in the southern United States and the methods used to meet these needs. (2) Compare the needs of the people of Puerto Rico with those of the people of the southern United states. (3) Compare the methods used in the southern United States with those used in Puerto Rico. (4) Apply ideas gained from the study in suggestions to further foods and nutrition work in Puerto Rico. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-122). Also available via the Internet.

"Are Supervising Home Economics Agents and other Extension staff fully aware of how ENP affects the life of the aides? The central problem of this study was to assess the extent of change in knowledge, skill, and use of nutrition, food habits and personal development of the aides in selected counties throughout Florida in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1975." / "Submitted to the Department of Home Economics Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Violet Moore, Major Professor. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-78).

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and are expected to be 25% of the population by the year 2050. Latinos also are more vulnerable and at higher risk for poor health outcomes including diabetes and other chronic health ailments than Anglos. Many of the serious effects of these diseases can be ameliorated with changes in diet and life style. These changes are difficult for ethnic minority populations who lack access to culturally sensitive health and nutrition education. Several innovative and culturally competent programs have been initiated to provide preventative health education to high risk Latinos. Las Comidas Latinas (The Spanish Meals) was developed to teach health and food safety to Latino families as part of a federally funded education program for low income, Food Stamp eligible families. The ecological model was utilized to examine the microsystem, mesosystems, exosystem, and macrosystem processes and changes that underlie the development and implementation of a culturally competent program. What characterized the relationships between and among program staff, other agency partners, and participants? And what organizational processes contributed to the development and success of this culturally competent program? Interviews with participants, staff members at the state, county, supervisory and direct service levels and partner agencies indicated that participants in Las Comidas Latinas reported warm and caring relationships that contributed to positive health and social gains for themselves and their children. Organizational factors at the macro, intermediate, and individual levels such as a positive view of diversity, environmental and political factors, policy changes, and involvement of Latino community leaders contributed to successful program development and implementation. Two major categories of recommendations have emerged for the field and other service programs: attending to cultural norms and enacting flexible organizational policies. Key findings in cultural relevance include: create a bilingual and bicultural workforce, promote a safe and welcoming environment, hire program paraprofessionals for their cultural knowledge, and seek information about the community to be served. Organizational recommendations are to persist in approaching the target community to be served, provide "space" for innovation, and recognize and value unexpected social benefits. Future research suggestions are included. / Graduation date: 2005

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A new, standardized food label developed by the Food and Drug Administration is appearing on products this year. Extensive research on consumer use suggests that approximately 20 % of the U.S. population, composed mainly of elderly and minorities, cannot correctly interpret the nutrition information on the label. This research explored the specific knowledge required for correct interpretation based on a model in which nutrition knowledge was organized in hierarchical levels: food groups, macronutrients and micronutrients in foods, with each level including dimensions of nutrition terminology, health relationships and related mathematics skills. An instrument was developed and pilot tested to measure knowledge at each level, as well as to measure accuracy in food label interpretation. Test items were revised based on peer input, correlational data, item analysis, and reliability. The revised instrument was then administered to purposive samples of adults (250 subjects) representing the range of nutrition knowledge measured by the test. Scores were re-analyzed to establish the validity and reliability of the new instrument. Factor analysis was used to explore the value of the original hierarchical model and to posit an additional model based on conceptual complexity. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to predict accuracy of food label interpretation based on factors depicted by both models. Findings indicated that the structures outlined in each model are useful predictors of food label interpretation, accounting for over 52 percent of the variance. Suggestions are made for further development of the test instrument and on how to incorporate learner pre-assessment in designing nutrition education interventions. / Ed. D.

A Food Behavior Checklist (FBC) was developed, validated, and pilot-tested with homemakers in Virginia's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The FBC was designed to measure nutrition-related practices that are taught in EFNEP, but cannot be measured by the 24-hour recall. During development, 20 EFNEP paraprofessionals in Virginia and 20 randomly selected state EFNEP coordinators helped to identify items that are most important in evaluating the overall effectiveness of EFNEP, and which could be used to establish content, face, and construct validity of a behavior assessment instrument. The Food Behavior Checklist contained 30 items, and responses were recorded on a Likert scale with four response levels: 0 = "never or seldom", 1 = "sometimes",2 = "usually", and 3 = "almost always". Cronbach-alpha revealed a reliability coefficient of 0.86. During the field test phase of this study, the FBC was used before and after EFNEP intervention to collect data on the nutrition-related practices of 147 low-income homemakers in three rural counties and one urban area in Virginia. In this phase, the experimental group, which consisted of 79 homemakers, received computer-aided feedback on their dietary practices, via a Diagnostic Report, which was used as a teaching tool. Paraprofessionals thoroughly explained the content of the diagnostic report to the homemaker at program entry and program exit. The control group, which consisted of 68 homemakers, did not receive computer-aided feedback on their dietary intakes, in that no mention was made of the computer print out to them. Results indicated that this instrument (FBC) may be useful in evaluating the overall effectiveness of EFNEP nationwide and may be useful in other nutrition programs. No significant differences were observed in the nutrient intake or Food Behavior Checklist practice change scores between the group who received computer-aided feedback and the group who did not received computer-aided feedback. The author concluded that the dietary analysis contained in the computer generated Diagnostic Report needs to be simplified if it is to become an effective tool with EFNEP homemakers. More research is needed on the use of computerized diet analysis as a teaching tool with low-income homemakers. / Ph. D.

DEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / Although on its introduction the focus of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) was to improve health and nutritional status of South African school children, it was put in place to improve school attendance, curb absenteeism and drop-out by children of school going age as a result of hunger and poverty. It was also meant to improve the learning capacity of children since access to nutritious meals has the potential to improve their concentration levels during instructional discourses, which can enhance the quality of educational outcomes. This study explored the views of education stakeholders on the challenges they encountered in implementing the NSNP in achieving its educational goals at two schools in the Vhembe District in South Africa. Specifically, the study investigated how the NSNP influences school access, attendance and participation at schools that are benefiting from the NSNP in an endeavour to establish strategies for improving the quality of schooling. Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchy of needs was applied to explain how children’s basic needs can be a foundation to their educational needs and aspirations. A case study design involving two schools was adopted for the study and the qualitative research approach was employed. Purposive sampling method was employed to select two secondary school principals, ten secondary school class teachers per school, ten learners who were beneficiaries of the NSNP and ten of their counterparts who were not on NSNP per school, and two circuit NSNP officers. Individual and focus group interviews, documentary study and observations were used to collect data, which were analysed thematically. The findings of the study revealed that: the National School Nutrition Programme is a credible strategy for learners from poor backgrounds to access schooling and reduce their school drop-out; there was no clear difference in academic performance between leaners who participated and those who opted out of the Programme; educators felt overwhelmed by administrative work for the feeding programme, which compromised on their co-responsibilities; there were inadequate workshops to equip service providers of the Programme; food was provided under poor hygiene conditions which made some learners to opt out of the Programme; Programme records had inaccurate information. Based on the main study findings, the study recommended that the programme should continue as the majority of learners were benefiting; the Programme should have its own v administrative personnel; there should be regular staff development workshops on the Programme; schools should erect proper infrastructure for food storage and service; a multi- ministerial team of experts from health, education Programme; and all schools that have the Programme should maintain nutrition gardens for provision of fresh food. Finally, for the effective role-taking by duty-bearers for the Programme, the study concluded by recommending a model called the Increasing Achievement Mode for the National School Nutrition Programme.