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Program Assistant Becky Mannigel, who works in Marion County,
Mo., teaches a food safety lesson with puppets. Photo courtesy
of the Family Nutrition and Education Program, University
of Missouri Extension
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Program
Teaches Children Lifetime Health and Fitness
By Jeremy Diener
According to recent research, choosing a healthy diet and
maintaining an active lifestyle is a challenge for an increasing
number of Americans. For low-income households, the problem
is more widespread. Thanks to a $5.8 million grant from the
United States Department
of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the University
of Missouri-Columbia is battling to turn the tide.
The sum represents
the largest grant ever received for MU’s Food
Stamp Nutrition Education Program, which began in 1994. The
goal of the program is to promote lifetime health and fitness
that centers around good nutrition balanced with physical activity.
While Food Stamp Nutrition Education isn’t unique to Missouri,
MU’s program is different than many states because it focuses
heavily on youth education.
“Good nutrition is important
for all children, but we focus on low-income children because
we know there’s a greater prevalence of obesity and related
diseases in lower-income households,” said Jo Britt-Rankin,
interim associate dean of the College
of Human Environmental Sciences extension programs. “They’re
also at a higher risk of not achieving well on standardized tests,
so we’re helping in the assessment testing as well.”
Program Assistant Rosie Cooper Willis, who works in the
St. Louis area, teaches good nutrition using a food pyramid.
Photo courtesy of the Family Nutrition and Education Program,
University of Missouri Extension
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Through the program, 80 trained paraprofessionals
work in elementary school classrooms in approximately 60 percent
of school districts throughout the state. The educators spend
an average of 30 minutes per week for six weeks educating children
on everything from proper nutritional habits to the benefits of
physical activity to the importance of hand washing. Last year
alone, nearly 192,000 people went through the program, 90 percent
of whom were children.
While the program focuses on educating children,
parents also are key components in shaping a child’s habits,
Britt-Rankin said. To address this, the program produces a parent
newsletter that reinforces what the children are learning in the
classroom, and includes a healthy recipe that parents can make
for their children. Nearly 350,000 newsletters were distributed
last year.
The $5.8 million grant is contingent upon
matching funds from MU, which brings the total funding for the
program to $11.6 million for 2004. The program proposal that won
the grant was approved for five years, which means it could potentially
bring in more than $20 million in additional dollars. Britt-Rankin
expects to see progress on several fronts.
“We hope that those who are on food
stamps are better able to manage their diet, activity and food
dollars,” Britt-Rankin said. “Additionally, we hope
to see long term that children who have gone through these programs
have a lower incidence of obesity and related diseases.”
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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