Supporting families with community nutrition programs

Youths and adults face a variety of health issues, from food insecurity to cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes. Cooperative Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) serve low-income residents nationwide and help address these issues by helping participants eat healthy, shop on a budget and stay active.

Here are a few examples of that work:

• Tribal health staff and Extension educators partnered in Michigan to adapt and implement four cooking programs to include more traditional Indigenous foods. Extension also created a digital collection of recipes using Indigenous ingredients.
  _{Michigan State University; project supported by Smith-Lever (3b&c) funds. See full statement.}
  
  
• Individuals with mental and physical disabilities in New York participated in food demonstrations tailored to their needs. The workshop series increased the knowledge of nutrition and cooking skills among this vulnerable population, improving their health and well-being.
  _{Cornell University; project supported by Smith-Lever 3d funds. See full statement.}
  
  
• By addressing the interconnected issues of nutrition, poverty and education, community nutrition education programs in Oklahoma played a pivotal role in fostering healthier communities, contributing to improved overall well-being and promoting positive, sustainable change. Among adult graduates, 96% improved in one or more diet quality areas such as eating fruits and vegetables, drinking fewer sugary beverages or cooking dinner at home.
  _{Oklahoma State University; project supported by Smith-Lever 3d funds. See full statement.}
  
  
• In Texas, the Better Living for Texans program encouraged participants of all ages to make healthier food choices, engage in physical activities, grow their foods through community gardening programs, stretch their food dollars and improve food safety practices.
  _{Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; project supported by USDA competitive funds. See full statement.}
  
  
• In Missouri, each participant of the SNAP-Ed program received an average of six hours of education totaling over 15,000 hours for participants statewide. Adult and youth participants reported changing nutritional and physical activity behaviors.
  _{University of Missouri; project supported by Smith-Lever 3d funds. See full statement.}

Photo courtesy Lynn Ketchum, Oregon State University.