Success Story: Food Literacy Partners Program
In 1997, 61% of adults in Pitt County were overweight or obese, and 75% of African-American women were overweight or obese. Also in 1997, 64% of adults were considered sedentary.
A grassroots community health group named nutrition as one of the top 5 priorities for action because of the limited pool of health care professionals with food, nutrition, and food safety training.
In an effort to address these realities and to increase the number of volunteers who are comfortable staffing booths at health fairs and discussing basic nutrition at heath related events, the Food Literacy Partners Program (FLPP) was developed. A group of dietitians and health educators were inspired by the Food Literacy Movement and came together in 2000 to create a course entitled FLPP which trains community volunteers to increase the amount and quality of food and nutrition messages being delivered to Pitt County.
While the target group for the course has been adults, FLPP volunteers have served the children of through their service to schools and daycares. FLPP also serves to expand the number of health care and education professionals such as nurses, teachers and child nutrition managers who incorporate culturally and educationally appropriate nutrition education into patient and student care interactions. In return for this training, volunteers agree to provide volunteer service for health related activities in Pitt County.
“An important impact that FLPP has had is that I have been able to talk with my family about healthy eating habits, proper dieting, nutritional supplements, and reading food labels. I have also been able to talk with kids through my volunteer activities and help them understand that there are more options than just french fries and Kool-Aid.”
– Recent FLPP graduate, Latoya Sanders
The Road to Success
The course uses curriculum modules taught by staff and volunteers or completed through independent study. A simulated health fair and a clinical practice exam function to evaluate the nutrition knowledge of the trainees. In addition, a website is maintained through East Carolina University where volunteers can complete modules, take quizzes, and access important nutrition and physical activity resources.
The FLPP curriculum includes topics such as assessing body size, assessing dietary intake, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, safe weight loss, and achieving a healthy weight in children Additional topics focus on Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, use of dietary supplements, physical activity, food sanitation and safety, and fast and healthy food preparation.
As of March 2006, 243 volunteers have completed the 20 hour training program and have provided more than 3500 volunteer hours of nutrition education services to Pitt County. Many of these volunteer hours have been completed at the Pitt County Farmers Market Saturday Nutrition Program. An additional 172 volunteers have completed some portion of the training but have not graduated. 133,798 residents of Pitt County including more than 20,000 students in Pitt County Schools have been reached through the training of school nutrition managers.
The program, since its inception in 2000, has been funded by the NC Nutrition Network, ECU, Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation (2002-2006), Pitt Partners for Health, and the Pitt Medical Society.
Stepping Stones...
- We were faced with the challenge of how and when to deliver training to busy individuals, and we found the combination of online training and modules taught by staff was the best option.
- It is possible for a volunteer self-improvement program to deliver nutrition education to consumers in rural areas where professional nutritionists are limited in number.
- Graduates find that they are able to pass on their newly acquired nutrition knowledge at home and in the community.
- It is important to have a clear plan for how to evaluate a program in place before beginning a program. This can aid in determining the impact of the program and identify areas of potential improvement.
Contact Information
Name, Title: Kathryn M. Kolasa, Ph.D., RD., LDN, Professor and Section Head
Agency: Nutrition Services and Patient Education, Departments of Family Medicine, and Pediatrics - The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Address: 600 Moye Blvd, Suite 4N-70
City, State, Zip: Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: (252) 744-5462 Phone
Fax: (252) 744-3040 Fax
Email: kolasaka@ecu.edu
