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

Publications and Presentations

During FY '98 - '99, FNP-IT faculty and staff presented scientific papers at the Society for Nutrition Education and Social Marketing in Public Health meetings. Topics presented at these conferences included acculturation and nutrition and the evaluation of the ¡SALUD! social marketing campaign. Three research articles were published in prestigious peer reviewed journals.

Food Stamp Study

With funding from the USDA Economic Research Service, we compared the food and nutrition situation of low-income preschoolers who received food stamps (N=59) with that of those who did not receive them (N=41). On average, the respondents were in their late 20's, 42% completed High school or got their GED, and 95% were receiving WIC benefits at the time of the study. Preliminary results suggested among the very poor, food stamp children live in more food secure households, food stamps provides children with higher intakes of essential nutrients, and nutrition education is needed to maximize the nutritional value of foods purchased with food stamps.

Project ANNA

The Acculturation and Nutrition Needs Assessment (ANNA) examined how living in the United States influences the eating habits and affects the nutritional status of Hispanics in Hartford, Connecticut. A total of 201 caretakers were interviewed. In general, the respondents were women in their late 20's. Half of these caretakers were single, 38% graduated from high school, 77% were unemployed, and 41% owned a car. Only 35% responded that the father of the child lived in the same household, and nearly 80% were receiving food stamps at the time of the survey. Results are currently being analyzed.

Nutrition Education Needs in Hartford Elementary School

With Funding from the Cooperative Extension System, FNP-IT assisted with the implementation of a nutrition education needs assessment in Hartford's elementary schools. A total of 305 elementary school teachers returned their surveys for a total response rate of 49%. Key findings include: a) teachers clearly make the link between nutrition and children's physical and intellectual development, b) teachers acknowledge that not enough nutrition is being taught, c) teachers would like to improve their nutrition background and d) teachers are willing to help overcome the time and resource limitations that do not allow them to include more nutrition education.

Breastfeeding and HIV

With Funding from the University of South Florida, FNP-IT assisted with the implementation of a study examining knowledge and attitudes towards breastfeeding by Hispanic men and women from Hartford, CT. Results indicate that: a) community is not aware of the possible transmission of HIV through breastfeeding, b) community strongly believes that this information should be provided to all women during prenatal visits, c) HIV negative women would not be disincentivated to breastfeed because of this information. Rather they would be more careful with their sexual practices and would fully address the issue with their partners.

¡SALUD! Evaluation

This second year evaluation of the ¡SALUD! campaign is being conducted through the Nutrition KAB II (Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior) follow up study in 250 households in predominantly Latino neighborhoods in Hartford.