Browsing by Author "Kendall, Pat, committee member"
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Item Open Access Development and evaluation of a bilingual nutrition education computer program for Latino children(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2001) Serrano, Elena Lidia, author; Jennifer Anderson, advisor; Kendall, Pat, committee member; Fritz, Janet, committee member; Zimmerman, Don, committee member; Auld, Garry, committee memberInteractive computer technology and multi-media have advanced in the past ten years as growing opportunities for nutrition education. Few nutrition education computer programs exist for school-aged children, particularly for Latinos. The overarching purpose of this research was to develop a computer nutrition program for low-income Mexican American children in Colorado. This research project spans all levels of software development -with formative evaluation , product development, and evaluation. Development of the CD-ROM program was driven by several theoretical models and results from the formative evaluation . The formative evaluation included focus groups with children and surveys with classroom teachers and media teachers in order to determine preferences for computer programs, particularly in classroom settings. We also sought to address dietary acculturation in the program. Food frequency questionnaires and acculturation scales were administered to children in largely Hispanic areas of Colorado. Several foods were found to be sensitive to change with increasing acculturation -- such as posole, corn tortillas, fresh corn , mangoes, Mexican cream, and beans - and sensitive to adoption . The final computer program contained a total of six components -- including educational modules, games, songs, and infomercials -- focusing on the Food Guide Pyramid and related topics. Foods included in the program were representative of different levels of acculturation (as determined by the dietary acculturation study) . Online evaluation was used to measure gains in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior intentions, as well as dietary choices. The program was implemented in a total of four schools -- two intervention schools and two matched control schools -- in southern Colorado. The computer nutrition education program proved to be highly effective in improving knowledge about the Food Guide Pyramid. The intervention group's knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid increased by over 50% and was considered significantly higher than the control group at the p<.01 level. Self-efficacy related to using the Food Guide Pyramid to plan meals and snacks also increased significantly. Our findings demonstrated that games and songs were effective in strengthening knowledge about nutrition and the Food Guide Pyramid, regardless of acculturation level. Online data about dietary patterns confirmed findings from the preliminary dietary acculturation study.Item Open Access Development and impact of a Stage of Change bilingual nutrition education program for Hispanics(Colorado State University. Libraries, 1997) Taylor, Terry, author; Anderson, Jennifer, advisor; Chapman, Phillip, committee member; Auld, Garry, committee member; Kendall, Pat, committee memberA nutrition education program, entitled La Cocina Saludable - The Healthy Kitchen, was designed based on the Stage of Change Model for Behavior Change and implemented in 10 counties in southern Colorado. The objectives were to improve the nutrition related knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lead to healthy lifestyles in a low-income Hispanic and migrant farmworker population. The content of the program included nutrition information designed to help mothers of preschool children provide for their children's nutritional needs. Specifically, the content areas included 1) Make It Healthy - nutrition principles including the Food Guide Pyramid; 2) Make it Fun - making food fun for children using color, texture, size, and shape; 3) Make A Change - modifying recipes and meals to lower fat, lower salt, lower sugar, and increase fiber; 4) Make it Safe - food safety principles; and 5) Make A Plan - budgeting and shopping tips to help stretch food resources. This population presents many obstacles for nutrition educators including limited resources, child care, transportation, time, language, culture, literacy, education, health beliefs, and in some cases, the transient nature of the population. Previous studies suggest that low-income Hispanics often show low intakes of vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and protein. It follows that they show high rates of diabetes, obesity, infections, and enteric diseases. This program attempted to overcome these barriers by incorporating the use of a flexible program format carried out by abuela (Hispanic grandmother) educators using appropriate processes described in the Stages of Change Model for Behavior Change. The Stage of Change Model categorizes changing individuals into five stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. It is suggested that within each stage, individuals emphasize specific processes that help to move them to the next stage. The program design and materials were developed by thoughtful incorporation of these processes. The program was evaluated using a knowledge and skills pre-test, post-test, and six month follow-up survey which included selected elements from WIC and EFNEP program evaluations. An instrument for measuring movement through the five stages was also developed. Final results of the program's evaluation suggest that this type of program based on the Stages of Change Model and using abuela educators as peer educators is effective in changing selected nutrition related knowledge, skills, and behaviors leading to healthy lifestyles. Administration of similar programs should be thoughtfully planned and implemented. Additionally, development and use of a Stage of Change assessment tool suggests key considerations when attempting to measure stages relative to nutrition behaviors for this population.Item Open Access Using computer technology to deliver nutrition education to low income populations(Colorado State University. Libraries, 1997) Gould, Susan Martin, author; Anderson, Jennifer, advisor; Chapman, Phillip, committee member; Auld, Garry, committee member; Kendall, Pat, committee memberNutrition education has been found to be effective in improving knowledge, attitudes, and behavior, particularly when programs are behavioral oriented and based on theoretical frameworks such as Prochaska's Stages of Change Model, the Social- Cognitive Leaming Theory, and the Communication Theory/Model. Increased nutrition risk has been found to be associated with income level, some minority groups, and education level. A nutrition education program, La Cocina Saludable ("The Healthy Kitchen"), has been developed utilizing abuelas (Hispanic grandmothers) to address some of the nutrition education needs of low-income Hispanic women and children, especially among migrant farm working families. Computer technology provides the opportunity to explore new and creative methods to deliver nutrition education to participants receiving food assistance. If this delivery method is effective, more people can be reached with accurate and consistent messages with less of the recruiting and training challenges found with peer educators. A pictorial version of the Colorado WIC Program Allowable Foods List was created using scanning and desk-top publishing techniques to add pictures and increase the readability of the text. Formative evaluation provided feedback regarding content and design. A final evaluation was completed to determine the preference between the text and pictorial versions. Potential WIC clients preferred the pictorial version (both Spanish and English) by more than 80%. Twelve of 14 grocery store checkers preferred using the pictorial version at their registers. Over 80% of 42 WIC staff surveyed indicated they would use the pictorial version more often with clients and that clients would like them. Building upon these scanning techniques, two units of La Cocina Saludable, "Make It Healthy" and "Make A Change," were adapted to a bilingual interactive multimedia (IMM) program and evaluated. The program was designed to be delivered via touch screen computers to participants of food and other assistance programs. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the knowledge gains and reported behavior changes among participants who completed La Cocina Saludable with a computer and those who completed it with an abuela. Significant knowledge gains (p < 0.05) were observed with both methods of delivery. Those who received "Make It Healthy" with the abuela, however, had significantly more gains (p < 0.05) for that outcome than those who used the computer. No significant differences were seen between the abuela and IMM when comparing within the "Make A Change" unit. A few differences were reported for fat and salt behaviors. IMM provides an opportunity to expose more participants to accurate and consistent nutrition education messages and learning activities. Use of a combination of IMM and nutrition educator methods may be an important consideration to increase contacts and optimize gains.