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

From October, 2000 through September, 2001 the fiscal year following research activities were conducted:

Breastfeeding Formative Research

Breastfeeding formative research during this period consisted of :

14 in-depth interviews about infant feeding practices among Latino women with children under 2 years old.

3 focus groups wore conducted with members of the community to get their input about breastfeeding messages, images and mass media outlets.

43 free listings.

14 matrix rankings of breastfeeding social marketing ads.

Findings of this research were used to develop the 'Breastfeed with Pride' campaign, which was presented in a Breastfeeding Community Advisory Meeting organized by the FNP-IT. The result of this meeting was the support of other members of the community and a financial partnership with Hartford Hospital for the implementation of the Breastfeeding Social Marketing Campaign.

KAB III

Data collection for the FNP-IT Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Survey-wave 3 (KAB-III) was completed this fiscal year. These data includes 250 low income adult respondents and are currently being analyzed by a UConn Nutritional Science Graduate student to assess the coverage, consumer satisfaction, and food safety behavioral changes associated with the Fight BAC! Campaign previously implemented by FNP-IT.

KAB IV

Phase 4 of the FNP-IT Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors survey (KAB IV) was initiated this fiscal year. The main purpose of this study is to collect baseline KAB diabetes data and post breastfeeding KAB data. Thus, these data will be analyzed to assess any change in attitudes toward breastfeeding as a result of the 'Breastfeed with Pride' campaign. The goal is to do 250 interviews with Latino caretakers with children under 12 years living in the household.

Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Cost Effectiveness Analysis

With funding from Hartford Hospital, this on-going randomized community trial seeks to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the 'Breastfeeding: Heritage and Pride' peer counseling program. In this study, 150 low-income pregnant women have been recruited from Hartford Hospital's prenatal clinic and randomly assigned to receive a) the services of a breastfeeding peer counselor, or b) the routine breastfeeding services provided by Hartford Hospital. Subjects are interviewed in the hospital following delivery and then via monthly telephone calls for the first 6 months postpartum, to gather data on breastfeeding initiation and duration, as well as infant health outcomes.

Graduate Student Research Projects

This fiscal year, FNP-IT facilitated the successful completion of research projects from 3 UConn graduate students. Angela Bermœdez-Millan FNP-IT nutrition education coordinator and UConn MPH student completed her thesis entitled 'Home Food Handling among Latinos: Needs Assessment and Development of a Puppet Show'. A UConn nutritional science doctoral student completed her dissertation entitled 'Development and Impact of a Food Label Education Intervention on Food Label Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Change of Stage Among Latinos: A Randomized Community Trial'. A UConn nutritional science masters student completed her thesis entitled 'Impact of a Brief Food Guide Pyramid Intervention on Nutrition Knowledge and Food Intake Behavior among Latino Caretakers.'

Student Interns

Two undergraduate students of the Nutritional Sciences Department at the University of Connecticut did their internships under the supervision of FNP-IT's research & evaluation coordinator. Both students participated in the formative research and the development process of the 'Breastfeed with Pride'

Campaign. A High School student also assisted FNP-IT with data management, delivery of nutrition education, and administration-related activities during her internship.

Research Presentations

FNP-IT staff and associated UConn graduate students presented results from the program in the following meetings:

Food Stamp Program 'Fall into Healthy Behaviors' Conference, Cambridge, MA, September 22, 2000

USDA Economic Research Service 2000 Small Grants Conference, Washington, DC, October 19-20, 2000

American Public Health Association Meetings, Nutrition and Food Safety among Latinos: Issues for the New Millennium, Boston, Massachusetts November, 14, 2000

'Ending Hunger and Building Community in Hartford' Conference. Rensselaer at Hartford, December 7, 2000

Childhood obesity conference, San Diego, Ca., on March 18th - 20th, 2001

Experimental Biology Meetings, Orlando, FL, March 30-April 4, 2001

The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Trends, Causes and Interventions, University of South Florida at Tampa, April 5, 2001. Invited by the undergraduate Anthropology Club

Food safety issues among consumers, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, June 14, 2001

Society for Nutrition Education, Oakland, CA, July 20-24, 2001 - 17th International Congress of Nutrition, UNICEF workshop: Recent experiences and lesson from community based nutrition programs. Vienna, Austria, August 27-30, 2001

Publications

During this fiscal year, FNP-IT's research and/or evaluation papers were published or are in press in the following peer reviewed journals: Ecology of Food and Nutrition, Human Organization, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Journal of Nutrition, Pediatrics.