INFANTS, TODDLERS & CHILDREN

University of Connecticut
Department of Nutritional Sciences
The Cooperative Extension System

Hispanic Health Council, Inc.

Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, PhD (UConn)
Principal Investigator
e-mail: rperez@canr.cag.uconn.edu

Grace Damio, MS (HHC)
Co-Principal Investigator
e-mail: grace@hispanichealth.com

Anir González, BS (HHC)
FNP-IT Program Coordinator
e-mail: anir@hispanichealth.com

School Presentations

Our puppet show "Dino-Glotón, Bodo-Dino y sus Panitas" has demonstrated to be a great tool in teaching children about nutrition. Next year, we hope to have a sequel which will focus on the prevention of chronic diseases not only through nutrition but also through exercise and smoking prevention. Presentations to parents and caretakers in school settings have also been extremely successful. A total of 59 presentations took place in Hartford public schools this year. Our total audience was of 1,390 individuals.

Agency Presentations

At agencies, PANA has done educational presentations for adults and children. Presentations for adults covered topics on general nutrition, shopping tips, and food label reading. Children received nutrition education through puppet shows, games, and fun activities. A total of 31 presentations took place in community organizations. PANA reached 862 individuals through these presentations.

Health Fairs

PANA participated in 10 health fairs during this past year. At these events, program staff performed the puppet show and disseminated nutrition information to a total of 5,485 people.

Lactancia Herencia y Orgullo

The PANA program also delivered nutrition education through the "Lactancia Herencia y Orgullo" breastfeeding promotion program. This initiative is directed by Grace Damio, MS, CD/N, coordinator of the Maternal & Child Health and Nutrition Center at the Hispanic Health Council.

PANA Evaluation

Presentations at schools and community organizations were evaluated by at least one viewer. In most cases, the viewer was the group organizer or teacher. Our goal for this year is to develop a process in which kids can take part in the evaluation to be able to measure the effectiveness of these presentations.

Development of Culturally Apropriate Materials

The program, with help of community members, has developed culturally appropriate and bilingual educational materials that have been used as teaching tools at presentations.

Puerto Rican Food Guide Pyramid

The development of the Food Guide Pyramid was conducted through focus groups with community members.

Color Coded Bilingual Food Label

A study was designed by a UConn graduate student, with support from FNP-IT staff, to develop a user-friendly food label for low literacy audiences through needs assessments and focus groups. The user friendly food label included color- coding, bilingual text, and a shaded food guide pyramid.

Nutrition Jeopardy Game

This popular game was re-created with nutrition related categories and questions. This learning tool has proven to be successful when working with teens and adults. Due to its great acceptance, a new set of categories and questions, including Diet and Exercise, Diet and Health, Breast-feeding, and Food Groups, was created.

Staff Training

FNP-IT staff has undergone trainings on food safety, heart disease, infant feeding, and setting work priorities. Training will remain an essential part of staff development.

Technical Support

For this year, the program has collaborated in the development of a vegetable cookbook and the evaluation of nutrition services offered to farm workers. It also offered information to international visitors (Tanzania and Congo) on the development of nutrition programs.

Intern Students

The program facilitated internships for undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Connecticut, Brown University, and Trinity College.

Team Approach

PANA has been highly successful mainly due to the partnership between the Hispanic Health Council and the University of Connecticut. Both organizations have been able to share their expertise and resources to create this unique program, in collaboration with the Hartford School System, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, the Connecticut Ballet, and others. FNP-IT staff has undergone trainings on food safety, heart disease, infant feeding, and setting work priorities. Training will remain an essential part of staff development.