Dear USDA Food and Nutrition Service,
I am honored to submit the following proposal on behalf of our Community College where majority of our students are Hispanics. “Healthy Hispanics” was launched this year to deal with high incidence of overweight and obesity that has resulted in prevalence of disease-specific mortality rates for diabetes mellitus (USDHHS, 2011). In response to the School Wellness Policy Program of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, I am submitting my proposal for $200,000 grant fund. This will be for a 4-year period starting January 2017.
The following is a detailed review of what the “Healthy Hispanics” program is about and the difference it would make to young Hispanics of our community college.
Very sincerely,
Nutritionist, Gettysburg College
Abstract
“Healthy Hispanics” is a college program to improve and encourage optimal dietary patterns and nutrient intakes among Hispanic youth in this college and the neighboring community. Considering that food patterns and nutrient intakes contribute to the development of overweight and obesity (Li & O’Connell, 2012), prevention efforts should focus on the assessment of dietary patterns in Hispanic youth.
Li and O’Connell (2012) cited reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) that the incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has tripled from early 2000 to 2012. Overweight and obesity affected children and adolescents, psychologically and mentally (Li & O’Connell, 2012). Li and O’Connell’s (2012) empirical study conducted food consumption survey using questionnaire on a sample of Grade 5 students. The authors recorded that students buying food from fast food stalls had lower mathematics achievement than those who ate home-cooked food (Li & O’Connell, 2012).
Needs assessment
The purpose of this program is to characterize the nutrient intake, dietary quality and health status of Hispanic adolescents of the community college and encourage healthy food intake to improve their quality of life and enhance their studies. The relationship between diet, nutrition and health is well recognized in terms of normal growth and development. A common risk factor in chronic disease development for several leading causes of morbidity and mortality is overweight or obesity. Concern about this relationship was acknowledged by the Surgeon General in his Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity in Americans (USDHHS, 2001). Obesity among Americans, especially youth, is reaching epidemic proportions.
Target Audience
The target population is children and adolescent Hispanics, mostly 19 years old, who are enrolled at Gettysburg College. It has been observed that most students enrolled in this college are showing signs of obesity and overweight. From the records, most of them belong to lower socioeconomic status, where diet is linked to income levels and comprised of fats, sugars or full of carbohydrates. The burden of overweight and obesity is significant. Studies have shown that overweight adolescents are more likely to become overweight and obese adults with early onset of other risk factors related to chronic disease (Kouba, 2010).
Goals/Objectives
The goal of “Healthy Hispanics” is to assess the food consumption and dietary patterns of students, mostly Hispanics, of the community college and improve their quality of life. The ultimate aim is to reduce obesity and overweight. The program will invite the students’ parents or relatives and encourage them to change to healthy lifestyle. It has been noted from previous studies that environment, such as school and home, influence food intake among adolescents.
Rationale
This program is conducted while Hispanic students are enrolled, i.e. for a period of 4 years. The purpose of including parents and relatives in the study is to encourage the families of the participants to know their food intake or the kind of food they eat.
Methodology
The parents and children will be asked to fill in forms in which they will describe their dietary patterns and nutrient intake. There will also be some cooking lessons and recommendations of what to cook and eat. The parents are encouraged to provide packed lunch for their children, rather than allowing them to buy from fast food stalls near the College.
Information campaign will start by early January wherein parents and students are encouraged to join the program. The program will employ the services of 3 nutritionists and 1 administrative assistant. The time of work will include 1 hour (before and during lunch time) and 2 hours (dinner time).
For cooking lessons, 1 chef will be hired and demonstrate how to cook and prepare healthy food in accordance with Hispanic culture. The parents and students can eat and share the food and have regular bonding. Lectures and a few instructions will be provided by the staff to encourage the parents and students about eating nutritious and healthy foods.
The students will record their daily food intake, but the parents will only record their food intake and check on the children’s food intake at least once a week. The nutritionists will assess the food intake and determine if there has been change in their dietary patterns.
Another important activity will be the information campaign, to include distribution of reading materials, magazines and leaflets containing information about improving health through changing lifestyles and introduction of healthy diet among adolescents.
In a study for the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (Laxy et al., 2015) to address the problem of obesity of Hispanics, they used a sample of individuals and recorded their health history, demographics, behavioral, lifestyle. The Economic Hardship Index recorded the way of life of the sample, including income, education and other demographic factors. High incidence of economic hardship was recorded, with residents and students not mindful of the kind of food they ate. Questionnaires were distributed for the participants to fill. It was found that Hispanics preferred food with high-calories.
Expected outcomes
The “Healthy Hispanics” project will focus on the Gettysburg College students and their families. The expected outcome will be an improved dietary pattern for children and adolescents and their families. The ultimate aim is to achieve an outcome where the students will appreciate cooked food rich in nutrition and not the food available at fast-food restaurants. In this project, the parents and children are encouraged to eat health foods through home-cooked food. If they cannot avoid eating food from fast-food chains, they are taught to choose the right nutritious food. The students will be made aware that nutritious and healthy foods are not necessarily expensive and they can be cooked at home. Food intake and healthy lifestyle affect the overall health (Laxy et al., 2015).
Budget
Evaluation
Recording of food intake, dietary patterns and other activities of the program will be done after classes. Each class or grade of students (Grades 1-12) will have their own nutritionist, where the 3 nutritionists employed for this program will have to accommodate the different grades. There will be scheduling of activities for the nutritionists and the chef. Once a week, the parents and nutritionists will have discussion and exchange of notes regarding the students’ role in the program to see if some improvement is made. At least once a month, school administrators, nutritionists, dieticians will provide an assessment of the project and provide recommendations on a needs basis.
References
Kouba, J. (2010). Dietary quality, nutrition and health status of Hispanic adolescents (Doctoral thesis, University of Illinois at Chicago). Retrieved from http://ezproxy.sothebysinstitute.com:2195/pqdtft/docview/304933075/fulltextPDF/5746D95C4F824042PQ/1?accountid=13958
Laxy, M., Malecki, K., Givens, M., Walsh, M., & Nieto, F. (2015). The association between neighborhood economic hardship, the retail food environment, fast food intake, and obesity: Findings from the survey of the Health of Wisconsin. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 237. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1576-x
Li, J., & O’Connell, A. (2012). Obesity, high-calorie food intake, and academic achievement trends among U.S. school children. The Journal of Educational Research, 105(1), 391-403. doi: 10.1080/00220671.2011.646359
