- Email: [email protected]
Employee Wellness and Health Promotion at the University of Arizona: A Program Report
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Poster Session: Wellness and Public Health Undergraduate Student Summer Research Project to Decrease Childhood Obesity Epidemic in One Rural Community
Employee Wellness and Health Promotion at the University of Arizona: A Program Report
Author: D.M. Brech; Dietetics and Nutrition, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR
Author(s): N.A. Rogers, J. Charvoz, C. Wilson; Life & Work Connections, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Learning Outcome: The participant will be able to plan a nutrition education program to teach children about nutrition and health in the prevention of childhood obesity.
Learning Outcome: As a result of the proposed presentation, the audience will be able to state the components of an effective, innovative employee wellness service and come away with practical suggestions of how to enhance wellness programming in the workplace.
One undergraduate student in the Nutrition and Dietetics Program is selected to participate in a community nutrition education program. The program targets local, rural children participating in summer daycare programs. The goal of the program is to teach the children about nutrition/physical activity/ food to decrease childhood obesity. Within the study, there is a control group and a treatment group. Informed consent of the caregiver is obtained prior to the study. The undergraduate student assists the professor in weighing and measuring the height of all children. The undergraduate dietetic student develops eight weeks of nutrition/physical activity/food lessons and delivers the lessons on site to the children in the treatment group. At the end of the summer, all children are weighed and height measured. The dietetic student analyzes all data, calculating BMI and BMI percentiles. The dietetic student makes comparisons within and between groups, develops spreadsheets of data, writes a PowerPoint presentation, delivers the presentation on campus to other science researchers and off-campus at two scientific conferences. The project enables one undergraduate students in the small DPD program to have hands on research and nutrition education opportunities. It is a highly successful program that attracts student to the undergraduate program and prepares them for internships.
Employee Wellness & Health Promotion (EWHP) is a workplace service that is geared toward improving the nutrition and fitness of employees at the University of Arizona. EWHP is housed within UA Life & Work Connections at the Department of Human Resources, a program serving 11,000+ faculty and staff by integrating employee assistance, wellness, and work/life components to optimize individual resiliency, workplace productivity, and wellbeing. EWHP offers a variety of research-based and cost-effective programs for a highly diverse population. For example, each employee has access to free nutrition and fitness coaching and courses, health screenings, and educational newsletters all which are provided by registered dietitians and physical trainers. To better meet the unique needs of its clients, EWHP has recently made great strides toward blending nutrition and dietetics with technology. Driven by a large-scale needs assessment and other evaluative tools, EWHP now offers a multitude of user-friendly tools (e.g., web education, social media, wellness liaison emailing system, podcasts, and Skype) that are intended for improved practice in dietetics. Funding Disclosure: None
Funding Disclosure: J.D. Patterson Summer Research Grant
Food Security in a Southwest Border Colonia Community 1
1
2
3
Author(s): I. Gonzales , W.A. Eastman , L. Stanford , D. VanLeeuwen , C. Turner4; 1Family & Consumer Sciences, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 2Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 3 Department of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 4Cooperative Extension Service, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM Learning Outcome: Participants will be able to describe food security in a southwest Mexico-United States border community. Objective: Food security was studied in a community that had characteristics of a colonia and a food dessert located near the Mexico-United States border. Methodology: The US Household Food Security Module was utilized to measure food security in Chaparral, New Mexico, which has 34% of its population living below the national poverty level. Approval was granted from the New Mexico State University Institutional Review Board. Consent forms and questionnaires were in English and Spanish. A convenience sample was recruited from a town hall meeting, food bank distribution events at churches, the fire department, and an immunization event. A total of 147 questionnaires were returned. Data analysis was done on 112 usable questionnaires. A Kruskal-Wallis test compared food security amongst the participant variables. Results: Participant ages were 5417 years, with 42% females and 58% male respondents. Subjects were 94% Hispanic, 2% white, and 4% other, with 68% speaking only Spanish, 28% speaking both English and Spanish, and 4% speaking only English. Forty-six percent of participants reported receiving some type of government food assistance. Of the 60 individuals from the food bank distributions, 7% reported high levels of food security, 9% marginal food security, 25% low levels of food security, and 59% very low levels of food security. Levels of food insecurity found in food bank recipients was significantly higher (p¼.0013) when compared with the other data collection sites. Conclusions: High levels of food insecurity were found in food bank recipients of a southwest border community. Funding Disclosure: None
A-86
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
Are Older Adults Willing to Volunteer to Deliver a Nutrition and Food Safety Program for Rural, Older Adults? A Focus Group Study Author(s): M. Getty1, M. Carney1, E. Amella2, M. Mueller2, A. Fraser1; 1Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC, 2College of Nursing, Med. Univ. of South Carolina, Charleston, SC Learning Outcome: The participant will be able to identify challenges and concerns that older adults might have about volunteering to deliver a nutrition curriculum to their peers. Research Outcome: Cooking Healthy, Eating Smart (CHES) is a nine-lesson nutrition curriculum targeting rural, limited-resource, older adults. Previously, Extension Agents delivered the curriculum to 218 older adults in congregate nutrition sites across South Carolina, however, resources to hire staff to deliver the program are becoming increasingly scarce. This study was conducted to determine if older adults would volunteer to deliver the CHES curriculum to their peers. Methods: Seven focus groups were convened in four regions of South Carolina between September and October 2011. Participants (N¼65) were recruited from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the South Carolina Family and Community Leaders (SCFCL). A trained moderator asked scripted questions about volunteering, foreseeable challenges to planning and delivering CHES, and possible solutions. Analysis: Comments were audio-recorded by a moderator’s assistant and transcribed by another research assistant. Two coders analyzed the transcripts and generated themes using NVivo 9, a data management tool. Results: Challenges to volunteer recruitment included lack of time or desire, schedule conflicts, and overwhelming responsibilities. Program length, time required, and delivery of lesson content without full-time staff assistance were concerns. Some suggested recruiting younger volunteers. Despite challenges, some participants were eager to volunteer for CHES. Participants viewed volunteering positively, and some described CHES as “a fantastic program” and “a great idea.” Conclusion: These findings suggest that it is feasible for older adults to volunteer to deliver the CHES program. Further research is needed to explore the best strategies for recruiting, training, and managing older adults as volunteers. Funding Disclosure: United States Department of Agriculture No. 2010-46100-21801 Rural Health & Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education, & the Extension Competitive Grants Program
September 2014 Suppl 2—Abstracts Volume 114 Number 9
Poster Session: Wellness and Public Health Undergraduate Student Summer Research Project to Decrease Childhood Obesity Epidemic in One Rural Community
Employee Wellness and Health Promotion at the University of Arizona: A Program Report
Author: D.M. Brech; Dietetics and Nutrition, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR
Author(s): N.A. Rogers, J. Charvoz, C. Wilson; Life & Work Connections, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Learning Outcome: The participant will be able to plan a nutrition education program to teach children about nutrition and health in the prevention of childhood obesity.
Learning Outcome: As a result of the proposed presentation, the audience will be able to state the components of an effective, innovative employee wellness service and come away with practical suggestions of how to enhance wellness programming in the workplace.
One undergraduate student in the Nutrition and Dietetics Program is selected to participate in a community nutrition education program. The program targets local, rural children participating in summer daycare programs. The goal of the program is to teach the children about nutrition/physical activity/ food to decrease childhood obesity. Within the study, there is a control group and a treatment group. Informed consent of the caregiver is obtained prior to the study. The undergraduate student assists the professor in weighing and measuring the height of all children. The undergraduate dietetic student develops eight weeks of nutrition/physical activity/food lessons and delivers the lessons on site to the children in the treatment group. At the end of the summer, all children are weighed and height measured. The dietetic student analyzes all data, calculating BMI and BMI percentiles. The dietetic student makes comparisons within and between groups, develops spreadsheets of data, writes a PowerPoint presentation, delivers the presentation on campus to other science researchers and off-campus at two scientific conferences. The project enables one undergraduate students in the small DPD program to have hands on research and nutrition education opportunities. It is a highly successful program that attracts student to the undergraduate program and prepares them for internships.
Employee Wellness & Health Promotion (EWHP) is a workplace service that is geared toward improving the nutrition and fitness of employees at the University of Arizona. EWHP is housed within UA Life & Work Connections at the Department of Human Resources, a program serving 11,000+ faculty and staff by integrating employee assistance, wellness, and work/life components to optimize individual resiliency, workplace productivity, and wellbeing. EWHP offers a variety of research-based and cost-effective programs for a highly diverse population. For example, each employee has access to free nutrition and fitness coaching and courses, health screenings, and educational newsletters all which are provided by registered dietitians and physical trainers. To better meet the unique needs of its clients, EWHP has recently made great strides toward blending nutrition and dietetics with technology. Driven by a large-scale needs assessment and other evaluative tools, EWHP now offers a multitude of user-friendly tools (e.g., web education, social media, wellness liaison emailing system, podcasts, and Skype) that are intended for improved practice in dietetics. Funding Disclosure: None
Funding Disclosure: J.D. Patterson Summer Research Grant
Food Security in a Southwest Border Colonia Community 1
1
2
3
Author(s): I. Gonzales , W.A. Eastman , L. Stanford , D. VanLeeuwen , C. Turner4; 1Family & Consumer Sciences, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 2Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 3 Department of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM, 4Cooperative Extension Service, New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM Learning Outcome: Participants will be able to describe food security in a southwest Mexico-United States border community. Objective: Food security was studied in a community that had characteristics of a colonia and a food dessert located near the Mexico-United States border. Methodology: The US Household Food Security Module was utilized to measure food security in Chaparral, New Mexico, which has 34% of its population living below the national poverty level. Approval was granted from the New Mexico State University Institutional Review Board. Consent forms and questionnaires were in English and Spanish. A convenience sample was recruited from a town hall meeting, food bank distribution events at churches, the fire department, and an immunization event. A total of 147 questionnaires were returned. Data analysis was done on 112 usable questionnaires. A Kruskal-Wallis test compared food security amongst the participant variables. Results: Participant ages were 5417 years, with 42% females and 58% male respondents. Subjects were 94% Hispanic, 2% white, and 4% other, with 68% speaking only Spanish, 28% speaking both English and Spanish, and 4% speaking only English. Forty-six percent of participants reported receiving some type of government food assistance. Of the 60 individuals from the food bank distributions, 7% reported high levels of food security, 9% marginal food security, 25% low levels of food security, and 59% very low levels of food security. Levels of food insecurity found in food bank recipients was significantly higher (p¼.0013) when compared with the other data collection sites. Conclusions: High levels of food insecurity were found in food bank recipients of a southwest border community. Funding Disclosure: None
A-86
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
Are Older Adults Willing to Volunteer to Deliver a Nutrition and Food Safety Program for Rural, Older Adults? A Focus Group Study Author(s): M. Getty1, M. Carney1, E. Amella2, M. Mueller2, A. Fraser1; 1Food, Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC, 2College of Nursing, Med. Univ. of South Carolina, Charleston, SC Learning Outcome: The participant will be able to identify challenges and concerns that older adults might have about volunteering to deliver a nutrition curriculum to their peers. Research Outcome: Cooking Healthy, Eating Smart (CHES) is a nine-lesson nutrition curriculum targeting rural, limited-resource, older adults. Previously, Extension Agents delivered the curriculum to 218 older adults in congregate nutrition sites across South Carolina, however, resources to hire staff to deliver the program are becoming increasingly scarce. This study was conducted to determine if older adults would volunteer to deliver the CHES curriculum to their peers. Methods: Seven focus groups were convened in four regions of South Carolina between September and October 2011. Participants (N¼65) were recruited from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the South Carolina Family and Community Leaders (SCFCL). A trained moderator asked scripted questions about volunteering, foreseeable challenges to planning and delivering CHES, and possible solutions. Analysis: Comments were audio-recorded by a moderator’s assistant and transcribed by another research assistant. Two coders analyzed the transcripts and generated themes using NVivo 9, a data management tool. Results: Challenges to volunteer recruitment included lack of time or desire, schedule conflicts, and overwhelming responsibilities. Program length, time required, and delivery of lesson content without full-time staff assistance were concerns. Some suggested recruiting younger volunteers. Despite challenges, some participants were eager to volunteer for CHES. Participants viewed volunteering positively, and some described CHES as “a fantastic program” and “a great idea.” Conclusion: These findings suggest that it is feasible for older adults to volunteer to deliver the CHES program. Further research is needed to explore the best strategies for recruiting, training, and managing older adults as volunteers. Funding Disclosure: United States Department of Agriculture No. 2010-46100-21801 Rural Health & Safety Initiative of the Cooperative State Research, Education, & the Extension Competitive Grants Program
September 2014 Suppl 2—Abstracts Volume 114 Number 9