Food Stamp Nutrition Education FSNE in Arkansas

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Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) in Arkansas
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University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension
Service

• The mission of the University of Arkansas
  Cooperative Extension Service (UACES) is to
  provide research-based information through
  non-formal education to help Arkansans improve
  their economic well-being and the quality of
  their lives.
• Extension has a long history of providing food
  and nutrition education to limited resource
  audiences.

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Extension faculty trained in delivering
research-based nutrition education

• Reliable source of nutrition information
• Faculty live and work in communities where
  education is needed
• Our faculty understands the target audience

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Food Stamp Nutrition Education

• Partnership between the UACES, Arkansas
  Department of Human Services, and the USDA Food
  and Nutrition Service
• Provides education to improve the likelihood that
  food stamp participants and those eligible will
  make healthy food choices and choose active
  lifestyles

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FSNE helps participants...

• Buy and prepare healthful meals and snacks based
  on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and USDA
  Food Guidance System
• Become more physically active
• Improve safe handling, preparation, and storage
  of food
• Develop spending and savings plans to make food
  dollars last throughout the month

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FSNE delivers nutrition education in all 75
counties

• Arkansas Department of Human Services
• Arkansas Department of Health WIC clinics
• Senior citizen centers (qualifying)
• Farmers Markets
• Food banks
• Public schools where 50 or more of students are
  eligible for free or reduced- priced lunch

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Food Stamp Nutrition Education

• 67 FSNE counties in FY06
• 45 counties conducted FSNE in 133 schools
• 171,746 direct contacts with youth
• 1,346 school teachers donated 8,523 hours valued
  at 219,046

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(Your) County FSNE

• Program began in 02
• (from AIMS) direct contacts with youth
• (your countys) schools participating
• (your countys) teachers participating
• ( your countys) hours donated, valued at
  (amount of 3rd party match from AIMS)

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Positive responses from students

• Im going to make sure I eat breakfast every
  day.
• I have asked my mom to buy more fruit.
• I told my mom we cant have ice cream every
  night.
• I didnt know nutrition was this much fun!

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Reaching parents...

• FSNE Parent Survey
• Conducted in 14 schools in 2006 in order to
  evaluate the impact of FSNE school nutrition
  programs on parents
• 2100 surveys sent to parents, with 957 parents
  responding

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FSNE Parent Survey Results

• 60 of parents reported that their child had
  spoken to them about nutrition education
• Of participants who responded, more than half
  reported that their child either asked for
  more/different fruits, vegetables, milk or
  yogurt or healthy foods or snacks
• Almost half of families surveyed reported that
  they made healthy changes

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FSNE Parent Survey ResultsTable 1. Results
of Survey for all participant
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Changes Families Made
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What teachers are saying about FSNE...

• Kids arent just eating their fries and throwing
  away the fruit at lunch anymore.
• FSNE helps provide students with information
  they probably wouldnt get otherwise.
• The kids loved the program...keep up the good
  work!

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Teacher Survey Responses

• How important is school-based nutrition
  education?
• -average score 8.79 on a scale from 1 (Not at
  all Important) to 10 (Extremely Important)
• How much do you value the FSNE program for
  students?
• -average score of 8.74 on a scale from 1 (Poor)
  to 10 (Excellent)
• How satisfied are you with the FSNE program?
• -average score 8.29 on a scale from 1 (Not
  Satisfied) to 10 (Very Satisfied)
• Eighty-two percent of teachers surveyed reported
  that participation in the program motivated them
  to eat healthier and be more physically active.

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How will schools/teachers benefit from the FSNE
program?

• FSNE curriculum addresses the Arkansas Frameworks
  across the curriculum
• Math
• Reading
• Science
• Health
• Physical Education

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Examples of FSNE curriculum matched to AR
Frameworks

• Body Walk
• Food, Fun and Reading
• OrganWise Guys
• Exploring MyPyramid with Professor Popcorn
• Pyramid Between the Pages

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FSNE benefits...

• children
• By learning healthy practices early in life,
  children are more likely to make healthy choices
  throughout their lives
• teachers
• FSNE program training can be used towards
  required staff development hours, FSNE curricula
  is matched to AR Frameworks, FSNE curricula can
  help teachers meet requirements for nutrition
  education
• the community
• Nutrition education can help reduce health care
  costs by teaching children and adults to make
  healthy lifestyle choices