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. This year, we delivered a new puppet show which focused on the prevention of chronic diseases through nutrition, exercise and smoking prevention. A total of 22 presentations took place in Hartford Connecticut. Our total public school audience for this year was of 1,085 individuals.

Agency Presentations

PANA also did educational presentations for adults and children at agencies. Presentations for adults covered topics on general nutrition, childhood nutrition, and food label reading. Children received nutrition education through puppet shows, games, and fun activities. A total of 27 presentations took place in community organizations. PANA reached 1674 individuals through these presentations.

Health Fairs

PANA participated in 19 health fairs during this past year. At these events, program staff performed the puppet show and disseminated nutrition information to a total of 2,180 people.

Holcomb Farm

FNP-IT provided nutrition education and helped to distribute produce to Latinos. This project was conducted under the leadership of a UConn undergraduate student.

The Connecticut Ballet and PANA Program Tour

This year, PANA in partnership with the Connecticut Ballet presented the puppet show to 23 public schools from Stamford, Bridgeport, Greenwich and Portland, CT. This program combined exercise and good nutrition through ballet and the puppet show as a way to promote healthy bodies and minds. Our total public school audience for this show was of 7,450 individuals.

Lactancia Herencia y Orgullo

The Breastfeeding: Heritage and Pride breastfeeding peer counseling program had a very successful year, providing breastfeeding education, support and management services to a total of 1,338 women. The following is a breakdown of program services and outcomes:

• 451 women received prenatal and/or postpartum home visits;
• 1,338 women received in-patient management support during routine post partum rounds, conducted twice daily;
• promotional and educational activities were conducted on a regular basis at Hartford Hospital's prenatal clinic and at the WIC Program;
• approximately 75 patients who intended to formula feed their babies at the time of their birth switched to breastfeeding after an educational session with a peer counselor;
• The breastfeeding incidence rate among program clients was 84%, and duration showed a clear increase from the previous year, though final duration data is not yet available.

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 did presentations at scientific meetings and underwent trainings on food safety, heart disease, infant feeding, and setting work priorities. Training will remain an essential part of staff development.

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.