EFNEP Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Gail M. Hanula, EdS, RD, LD, Coordinator The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Colleges of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Family and Consumer Sciences, cooperating

FACS Extension Land Grant universities, including UGA, have a 3- fold mission:  Teaching  Research  Service/Outreach  Cooperative Extension –Federal, State and local partnership. –Offices in almost every county in Georgia.

UGA Cooperative Extension Funded to provide research based information. Agriculture - farm, industry and home 4-H – 50 project emphasis areas, including fine arts, science, health and foods and nutrition Family and Consumer Sciences –parenting and child care, human development, resource management, housing, food safety, nutrition

EFNEP “Teaching Healthy Eating on a Budget” EFNEP is federally funded by USDA through Extension (CSREES) to provide foods and nutrition education to clients with limited resources in order to improve their health.

Appling Bibb Brooks Bulloch Chatham Clarke Clayton Colquitt Cook DeKalb Dougherty Fulton Glynn 24 Georgia Counties Gwinnett Hall Johnson Liberty Lowndes Muscogee Richmond Walton Ware Washington Wayne

Audiences Youth:  Fun food and nutrition experiences for preschool and school-age youth in HeadStart, Pre-K programs, childcare centers, community centers, 4-H clubs and schools. Adults:  Class series offered to individuals or small groups, often in cooperation with community agencies such as DHR Office of Family Independence, GED programs, Welfare to Work programs, food banks, shelters, Teenage Mothers Programs and WIC.

EFNEP Adult Program Helps low-income families with children:  Learn how to eat healthier meals and snacks.  Stretch their food dollars.  Reduce the risk of food borne illness.

2006 EFNEP Highlights EFNEP reached 3,726 families 2,465 adults graduated 89% of graduates improved their diets.

Prenatal/TAMS 222 pregnant women reached. Pregnant teens enrolled in our Teenage Mothers Program on Nutrition (TAMS). The importance of breastfeeding is highlighted.

Nutrition Highlights FY 06 A goal is to help clients recognize the importance of each food group and consume a minimum of 3 servings of grains and 1 serving from each of the other food groups (fruit, vegetables, milk and meat) Pattern increased from 17.2% at entry to 29.6% at exit Pattern increased from 1.9% at entry to 4.7% at exit

Family Meals and Snacks Clients eating 3 or more meals and snacks increased from 75% to 82%. 53% of clients had children under the age of 5.

Food Group Improvement Breads 5.1 – 5.2 Fruits 1.1 – 1.6 Vegetables 3.0 – 3.4 Dairy.9 – 1.1 Meats 2.2 – 2.3 Others 15.5 – 15.8

Calories do count... Adding fruits, vegetables and grains is great, but... Calorie levels increased by 166 calories, from 1852 to 1880 (1679 in 2002). Pattern could lead to weight gain. Focus on substituting fruits, vegetables and grains for high calorie desserts and snacks.

Reducing Chronic Disease Dietary fat decreased from 36% to 34% Dietary fiber increased from 13 to 15 grams/day

Food Resources Amount of money spent on food decreased $38/month per family 366 families enrolled in one or more food assistance programs as a result of EFNEP

Behavior Surveys 92% of clients completed pre and post surveys Improvements in food resource management, nutrition practices, and food safety

Food Resource Management 49% more often planned meals 41% more often compared prices 40% less often ran out of food 45% more often used a list Overall, 79% showed improvement in 1+ food resource mgt. practices

Nutrition Practices ● 42% more often thought about healthy food choices when making food decisions 37% more often prepared meals without added salt 58% more often used the Nutrition Facts label

Nutrition Practices, cont’d 33% reported their children more often ate breakfast 85% showed improvement in 1+ nutrition practices

Food Safety 31% or more followed recommended practices of not allowing meat & dairy foods to sit out more than 2 hours 53% more often did not thaw foods at room temperature 63% showed improvement in 1+ food safety practices

Youth 5585 youth reached 99% reached through groups 55% under 6 27% 9-12 year olds 933 (18%) participated in regular 4-H programs

Volunteers 605 volunteers for EFNEP in 2006 Equals 4.8 full time positions! 3% were former EFNEP participants

EFNEP Website Publications Call your local Cooperative Extension Service to find out if EFNEP is in your area ASK-UGA1