The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program's Impact on Graduates' Quality of Life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) affects the quality of life (QoL) of its low-income adult participants. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study using focus groups (n = 15) in 8 states with EFNEP participants (n = 111) 2-4 months after graduation. Focus groups were conducted with non-Hispanic white (4 groups), black (4), English-speaking Hispanic (4), and Spanish-speaking Hispanic (3) respondents. A priori template analysis based on constructs from the University of Toronto's Quality of Life Profile for Adults and constant comparative procedures were used to generate results. RESULTS: Participants reported following healthier dietary and physical activity behaviors and having increased motivation to improve themselves and greater satisfaction with life. All groups noted being a more positive influence on their families and a having willingness to learn and try new things. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The EFNEP enhances the QoL of its participants, which suggests that the program's benefits go beyond participants' documented nutrition and health-related behavior changes. In the future, EFNEP might examine whether improved QoL is also a predictor of sustained behavior change and a means for differentiating program impacts owing to variations in dose (number of contacts) or delivery methods (face-to-face vs online).

Intervenciones de Fomento al Bienestar Nutricional en América Latina y el Caribe: oportunidades para fortalecer las políticas y programas de alimentación y nutrición / Intervention that fostering nutritional well-being in Latin America and the Caribbean: opportunities to strengthen food and nutrition public policies

Fundamentos: América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) se encuentran actualmente en una transición epidemiológica, el sobrepeso y la obesidad se han incrementado rápidamente. El objetivo fue analizar experiencias nacionales para fomento del bienestar nutricional en ALC. Métodos: estudio descriptivo de fuentes secundarias y a través de entrevistas a profundidad para identificar intervenciones de fomento del bienestar nutricional que tengan potencial de escalabilidad. La información se obtuvo de fuentes primarias y secundarias en los 33 países participantes, de febrero a abril de 2016. Resultados: 204 intervenciones identificadas en tres subregiones, Mesoamérica, Sudamérica y Caribe. Las intervenciones buscan prevenir o reducir la malnutrición causadas por deficiencias o promover estilos de vida saludables entre grupos vulnerables. Pocas intervenciones encontradas para mejorar la cultura alimentaria, se incluyen como parte de programas que también abordan otros temas. Conclusión: Existe un potencial significativo para fortalecimiento de políticas públicas que fomenten el bienestar nutricional en ALC. La implementación de un marco de políticas públicas de nutrición regional podría complementar el compromiso continuo de la Década de las Naciones Unidas para la Nutrición con la lucha contra la doble carga de la malnutrición en ALC

Background: The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is currently in an epidemiological transition, overweight and obesity have increased rapidly. The objective was to analyze national experiences that fostering nutritional well-being in LAC. Methods: This isa descriptive study including in-depth interview to identify interventions to foster nutritional well-being with potential of scalability. Information was obtained from primary and secondary sources in the 33 LAC countries, from February to April 2016. Results: 204 interventions were identified in the three sub regions, Mesoamerica, South America and the Caribbean. Most interventions seek to prevent or reduce malnutrition caused by deficiencies or promote healthy lifestyles among vulnerable groups. The few interventions found to improve food culture are included as part of programs that also address other issues. Conclusion: There is a significant potential for the strengthening of nutrition public policies to promote comprehensive interventions that foster nutritional well-being in LAC that currently faces the double burden of malnutrition and the NCD epidemic. The implementation of a regional nutrition policy framework could complement the continued commitment of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition to the fight against the double burden of malnutrition in LAC

Psychosocial measures used to assess the effectiveness of school-based nutrition education programs: review and analysis of self-report instruments for children 8 to 12 years old.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the psychometric properties of evaluation instruments that measure mediators of dietary behaviors in school-aged children. DESIGN: Systematic search of scientific databases limited to 1999-2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychometric properties related to development and testing of self-report instruments for children 8-12 years old. ANALYSIS: Systematic search of 189 articles and review of 15 instruments (20 associated articles) meeting the inclusion criteria. Search terms used included children, school, nutrition, diet, nutrition education, and evaluation. RESULTS: Fourteen studies used a theoretical framework to guide the instrument's development. Knowledge and self-efficacy were the most commonly used psychosocial measures. Twelve instruments focused on specific nutrition-related behaviors. Eight instruments included over 40 items and used age-appropriate response formats. Acceptable reliability properties were most commonly reported for attitude and self-efficacy measures. Although most of the instruments were reviewed by experts (n = 8) and/or pilot-tested (n = 9), only 7 were tested using both rigorous types of validity and with low-income youth. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Results from this review suggest that additional research is needed to develop more robust psychosocial measures for dietary behaviors, for low-income youth audiences.

A content analysis of nutrition education curricula used with low-income audiences: implications for questionnaire development.

In developing recommendations for core measures/items for the evaluation of the Youth Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), three nutrition education curricula, implemented by land grant universities, were content analyzed. Selection criteria included the following: Curriculum content must include all EFNEP core content areas and must be implemented in more than one state with school children in third through fifth grades. Content analysis strategies were employed to identify and describe common areas/themes and mediators of behaviors addressed across the selected curricula. Content analysis coding was based on a list of behavioral mediators, which have empirical associations with nutrition, physical activity, and food safety. The most evident approaches identified across the three curricula were to enhance motivation, teach cognitive knowledge, and practice behavioral skills. The presence of self-regulation and environmental theory-based strategies was limited in all three curricula. In addition, multiple themes for nutrition, physical activity, and food safety were commonly addressed across curricula with multiple educational strategies. Based on these findings, recommendations for developing content appropriate measures and items for an outcome evaluation tool for Youth EFNEP are provided.