1. Current research suggests that older adults will benefit from increasing their whole grain consumption. An emphasis on whole grain intake is presented in the USDA’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines, which recommend that all Americans consume at least three servings of whole grain foods each day. Whole grains contain many essential nutrients that are lost if the grain is refined. Research suggests that whole grain intake may decrease the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and many types of cancer. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate the impact of two different whole grain nutrition education interventions targeting low-income older adults. The outcomes of these longitudinal interventions will be documented through changes in nutrition attitude, behavior, knowledge, and whole grain intake, along with improvements in biochemical, clinical, and anthropometric measures. This poster presents a summary of results of the baseline data collection series. The student researcher will report post intervention findings as part of her Senior Honors Project in the Spring of 2006. Seventy-three community-dwelling older adults (age 60+) were recruited from Rhode Island’s low-income housing sites to participate in a six-month nutrition education intervention focused on improving whole grain intake. All subjects participated in a baseline data collection series that involved nutrition assessment through a whole diet food frequency questionnaire, and the completion of a pre- intervention survey concerning current knowledge, attitude, and intake of whole grain foods. Anthropometry, including height, weight, and waist circumference were measured and recorded. Blood pressure levels were also measured, and a finger stick blood sampling was performed onsite to analyze total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose. Alexis Howard¹; Karen Colannino, RD, LDN²; Nancy Fey-Yensan PhD, RD³ 1: CELS Coastal Fellow, NFS, 2: NFS Graduate Student, 3: Professor in Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences The data reveal multiple risk factors linked to debilitating disease. These factors include: high cholesterol, increased blood pressure, large waist circumference, and a prevalence of overweight and obesity. The subjects would benefit from a tailored whole grain nutrition intervention because increasing whole grain intake is associated with improvement of these risk factors. Other data that support the need for education were the low level of current consumption and poor knowledge related to whole grain foods among study subjects. The high number of subjects who stated they were willing to try whole grains suggests that nutrition education efforts could prove highly successful. The next step in this research will be to implement two nutrition education interventions. The first will consist of mailing four monthly whole grain newsletters to participants. The second will include monthly nutrition education workshops that accompany newsletters. The effectiveness of the interventions will be evaluated by assessing long- term improvement in risk factors related to disease, improved attitude and knowledge concerning whole grains, and behavior change related to whole grain consumption. These results will be presented in May 2006. The baseline data indicate that these low-income older adults are at high risk for nutrition related disease. The anthropometric data illustrate that based on body mass index, 83% of the subjects sampled are overweight or obese. 71% have a waist circumference measure associated with significant health risk. 89% of the subjects were found to have a blood pressure value that suggests pre-hypertension or hypertension. High cholesterol levels (≥ 200 mg/dL) were measured in 34.3% of the subjects. This older adult sample was found to have limited current knowledge of whole grains. When asked to categorize foods as, “whole grains,” or “refined grains,” no subject correctly identified all listed foods. Only 55% classified 100% whole wheat bread as a whole grain food. Measures indicate that the population sampled does not meet minimum recommendations for whole grain intake. Finally, it was found that 70% of the subjects were willing to try whole grain foods and felt that changing their diet would improve their health. Anthropometrics and Biochemical Results Results Summary Conclusion Acknowledgments Special thanks to Professor Cathy English for her assistance with data analysis. Funding for this project is through the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA Food Stamp Program. The Coastal Fellow Program is supported by the URI Office of the President and Provost, and by the College of Environment and Life Sciences. Introduction Methods ParameterDesired ValueRangeMean Total Cholesterol <200 mg/dL 102-408 mg/dL 186.8 mg/dL HDL Cholesterol 40-60 mg/dL 21-85 mg/dL 44.9 mg/dL Fasting Glucose <100 mg/dL 74-314 mg/dL 112.7 mg/dL Biochemical Parameters