Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This pilot study examines the use of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program by the Burmese population in Indianapolis, Indiana. A significant number of Burmese people migrated to the Indianapolis area starting in 2004. Many of them are families with young children and are enrolled in the WIC program. Language barriers and cultural differences make it more difficult for the WIC program to meet the needs of these families. To what extent is the WIC program meeting their needs? To answer this question, Burmese WIC participants enrolled in the Marion County WIC program were invited to participate in this study. Study participants received a survey at the time of their appointment at the WIC office. The survey included questions that focus on how the Burmese people feel about the foods provided and the nutrition education they receive on the program. Of the 30 study participants, 28 of them or 93.3% reported WIC as being very helpful. Some foods were reported as not being utilized as frequently by the Burmese population on the WIC program, including tortillas, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta. In addition, twenty six of the 30 participants or 86.7% reported the nutrition education they receive on WIC as being very helpful. Participants reported learning many new things through WIC nutrition education including how best to feed their infants and children, as well as breastfeeding being the best for their babies.

This study addresses food security in three communities in rural, central Honduras by looking at the interrelationships among nutritious food, environmental and political forces, and cultural behaviours through the collection and analysis of local knowledge and laboratory data. Evaluation of ethnographic research were combined with analysis of policy documents and the nutritional analysis of ninety local varieties of corn. Research showed how households in three rural communities in the mountains of Honduras, struggle to access sufficient, safe and nutritious food while respecting cultural and agricultural diversity. Policies to address food security need to not only address the diversity of environmental niches, and a history of disenfranchisement of most rural farmers from the political process, but also the cultural ideals that impact definitions of hunger and nutrition. Analysis of 90 varieties of local landraces show that coloured varieties of maize have higher nutritional value for protein, anthocyanin, and vitamin A content. / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Ontario Graduate Scholarship, CIDA's CGIAR-Canada Linkage Fund (CCLF)