Nutritional Genomics

COID Collaborations  - 2005

• The COID continues its collaboration with the California Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in the development of culturally appropriate nutrition education materials. This project resulted from a need identified by clients of the federal assistance programs and health care providers. The first phase that involved focus group-like discussions with member of the target audience was completed. In collaboration with the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program at UC Berkeley, several minority students continued to work on the project, assisting with the content. The series of nutrition education materials targeted to African Americans are being designed and will be field tested by the spring of 2006. The Hmong health education messages have been field tested and materials are being incorporated into an extender-training model (see below).

• The San Joaquin County project is a collaborative between California EFNEP and San Joaquin Public Health Services and UC Berkeley Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program. The target populations are the Hmong and Cambodians. Additional focus groups were conducted this year, targeting a broader range of participants. The topics of diabetes and obesity were investigated, as well as the best means and venues for delivering health information. The collaborative has actively worked on three areas: development on nutrition education materials, grant preparation and extender training (Hmong). The collaborative was funded for a project which is now in progress. We are adapting the EFNEP curriculum for the Hmong and developing a training program for extenders, or community members to deliver the program. Extenders (3) will be trained in San Joaquin, Fresno and Butte counties to deliver a series of classes to limited resource Hmong family members. The program will be delivered and evaluated by April 2006.

• The COID took the lead in editing, translating and producing a University of California, peer-reviewed video and DVD, "For Goodness Sake! Prevent Anemia," widely used in programs such as WIC, the Food Stamps Education Program and Head Start programs. It was reviewed by EFNEP Hmong staff as well as Hmong staff working with the First Five Program in Stockton. The COID assisted in the evaluation of the English and Spanish versions last year and the evaluation results were presented at two national meetings (American Public Health Association and the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior).

• In response to the need for training for nutrition health care professionals, a conference was conducted on October 5, 2005, "Nutritional Genomics In Practice." It was attended by approximately 60 local nutrition practitioners including local practitioners, registered dietitian, public health nutritionists, nutrition educators, interns and a few clinicians from other disciplines, including nursing and pediatrics. It was suggested by some (12) that this become a yearly event with the focus on "updates" and more specific nutrigenomics topics as the field continues to evolve. The conference was cosponsored by the Education and Training Core and the UCB Center for Weight and Health, UCB Dietetic Internship Program and California Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).