- Author: Chutima Ganthavorn
- Author: Katie Panarella
- Contributor: Shyra Murrey
EFNEP delivered food safety lessons to over 4,000 participants last year, with nearly 2,500 reporting improvements in food safety knowledge and practices. EFNEP's work contributes to UC ANR's public value of safeguarding sufficient, safe, and healthy food for all Californians.
The Issue
The foodborne illness burden in the U.S. is estimated at 48 million cases, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3000 deaths each year (CDC.gov). This burden will likely increase during the coronavirus pandemic since more families are now cooking and preparing meals at home. With limited consumer knowledge about food safety, the likelihood of foodborne illness increases. Moreover, today's consumers often rely on the internet for health information. Studies have found inaccurate food safety advices on TV cooking shows and recipe blogs. A recent study reveals misinformation abounds on social media and internet question and answer websites.
How UC Delivers
Food safety is one of the four core areas of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). California EFNEP, a statewide program of UC ANR, teaches food safety and safe food handling practices as part of the nine-lesson nutrition series for limited-resource families in 19 counties. Adult participants, mostly those responsible for preparing meals for the family, learn reliable food safety information based on research such as food safety basics, the four core practices to prevent foodborne illness, safe minimum cooking temperature, and proper storage of leftovers. In addition to teaching concepts, EFNEP educators demonstrate proper handwashing and other safe food handling practices during recipe demonstration. Youth participants in lower grades (K-2) learn about when and how to wash hands. EFNEP educators use the Glo-germ demonstration, which illustrates proper handwashing. Youth in upper grades also learn about food safety basics and how to store and handle food safely. During the pandemic, EFNEP quickly pivoted to offer classes virtually so that food safety lessons could continue. During the 2020 program year, EFNEP statewide delivered food safety lessons to 2,981 adult participants and 1,323 youth.
The pre/post EFNEP Adult Questionnaire utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of EFNEP shows 85% (1850 of 2187) of participants improved in one or more food safety practices, such as washing hands before preparing food, washing all items and surfaces after cutting raw meat or seafood, not thawing frozen food at room temperature, and using a meat thermometer. Thawing frozen food at room temperature is not recommended but appears to be common among EFNEP participants; only 29% met this recommendation before the training. After the EFNEP lesson, 65% of participants indicated they now less often thaw frozen food at room temperature. Among youth participants from grades K-12, 55% (733 of 1323) of children and youth gain knowledge or use safe food handling practices more often. Research shows that these food safety practices can reduce the prevalence of foodborne illness. Therefore, these outcomes demonstrate how EFNEP contributes to improved food safety and the public value of safeguarding sufficient, safe, and healthy food for all Californians.
- Author: Niamh Quinn
- Author: Kit Alviz
After attending West Coast Rodent Academy, 75% of participants implemented improved rodent management skills, decreasing negative environmental impacts and demonstrating UC ANR's commitment to protecting California's natural resources.
The Issue
How UC Delivers
UCCE Advisor Niamh Quinn co-created the Rodent Academy curriculum, informed by research that has determined ways to decrease rodenticide exposure to nontarget wildlife. The goal of commensal rodent management is to reduce the population of rodents quickly so that no further damage or exposure to allergens and pathogens occurs. To achieve this goal, rodent management needs to be quick and efficient and involve a combination of trapping and rodenticides.
The curriculum is being delivered via the three-day West Coast Rodent Academy (WCRA). To date, 307 individuals from 115 pest management companies, as well as city, county, and state agencies have participated. It is projected that the WCRA will continue to grow and reach pest management professionals across California. WCRA has also had attendees from ten other states despite the program being developed for California's pest management professionals. For example, Oregon State University's School of Integrated Pest Management Program attends WCRA trainings to learn more about starting an academy in the Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, funds generated from the West Coast Rodent Academy are applied to research being conducted in three Master of Science projects related to pest management.
To evaluate the impact of WCRA, a follow-up survey was sent to approximately 180 professionals trained through the West Coast Rodent Academy in 2019.
The Impact
- Author: Christine Davidson
- Author: Chutima Ganthavorn
- Contributor: Roxana Puentes
EFNEP and Ventanilla de Salud partnership reaches Latinx and farmworker clients through UCCE Connects to You! Zoom series. Forty-three percent improve food security indicators, contributing to UC ANR's public value of sufficient, safe, and healthy food for all Californians.
The Issue:
The Ventanilla de Salud (Window on Health) is a program that is implemented through 50 Mexican consulates in the United States. The goal of Ventanilla de Salud (VdS) of San Bernardino is to promote health literacy and healthy lifestyle choices, conduct health screenings, and increase access to health care for Latinxs who visit the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino. According to UCLA's Community Health Interview Survey, almost half (46.9%) of Latinxs in San Bernardino County are not able to afford enough food in 2019. VdS engages families by holding a variety of in-person classes and one-time workshops while they wait for appointments. Due to shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, VdS started providing virtual training and partnered with EFNEP to fulfill the needs for workshops focusing on a healthy diet and physical activity on virtual platforms.
How UC Delivers:
EFNEP Educator, Roxana Puentes, collaborated with VdS by holding a Facebook Live event to entice over 1000 VdS followers with a glimpse of the healthy recipes, physical activities and nutrition information they would learn if they enroll in EFNEP. The viewers made positive comments and liked the presentation. VdS helped EFNEP schedule and enroll interested participants in the series of four live group Zoom sessions. The participants received a total of 8 lessons, two lessons at a time, sent via mail or email. The lesson topics included physical activity, fruits and vegetables, reading the food label, saving money, managing food resources, food safety, and healthy recipes. Each Zoom session included a 5-minute physical activity break where participants walked, stretched or learned simple resistance exercises using items in their homes. Exercise breaks reinforced concepts learned about the importance of physical activity and gave them ideas to do on their own time. The Zoom sessions provided opportunities for participants to interact and share successes and challenges they were facing feeding children, such as picky eaters, difficulty finding time to cook, unsure what healthier items to choose at the grocery store, and making physical activity a priority. Although over 50 VdS participants participated in the Zoom session each time, 14 people attended the whole series and graduated. At the end of the series, graduates received a certificate and cookbook by mail.
The Impact:
EFNEP serves limited resource families, making food security and food resource management important aspects of the program. According to research in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, food resource management education has been shown to improve food security. At the beginning of EFNEP classes, 43% of class participants said they always lacked money or another way to get enough food for the family during the past month, and 57% said that they ate less so there was more food for the family. After participation in EFNEP, 43% of graduates showed improvement in one or more food security indicators, and 64% showed improvement in food management practices including compare food prices, plan meals, and looking in refrigerator or cupboard and make a list before shopping, which in turn saves money and stretches the food dollar. Additionally, 79% of graduates showed improvement in one or more diet quality indicators such as eating fruits and vegetables more often. About half of the participants reported making small changes to be more active. Overall, EFNEP helped improve living conditions for participants from VdS and contributes to the UCANR public value of promoting healthy people and communities.
“Thank you very much for this wonderful workshop. I learn a lot. Grateful.”, EFNEP Participant from Ventanilla de Salud
- Author: Deepa Srivastava, Ph.D.
The UCCE promotes healthy people and communities through an engaging physical activity workshop series where 63 early childhood education professionals reported positive learning experiences and the intention to adopt physical activity practices in early childhood education classrooms.
The Issue
Nutrition education technical assistance training for early childhood professionals create learning opportunities to improve attitudes, knowledge, skills, and practices. However, it is often a challenge to keep up with nutrition and physical activity education training due to the demands of their work schedules. Early childhood professionals who care for children play an essential role in providing age-appropriate physical activity opportunities that promote lifelong health.
How UC Delivers
In 2020, the CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Kings Nutrition Educators Susan Lafferty and Eldon Bueno conducted a fun and interactive physical activity workshop at the Professional in Early Childhood Education Conference organized by West Hills College Child Development Center, Kings County, CA. Participants (n=63) learned to use the evidence-based curriculum, Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH), to increase children's enjoyment and participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity, including extracurricular activities with family and friends. Participants showed positive attitudes and reception for the activities conducted.
The Impact
After completing the physical activity workshop, early childcare professionals reported their current practice and intent to change. Of the 63 participants who completed our intent-to-change survey, 35% (22 of 63) reported not being physically active for at least 30 minutes most days in the past week. Of the 22 participants who had not been physically active, 64% reported that they would be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day more often within the next week. Additionally, open-ended qualitative survey responses indicated participants' positive learning experiences as a result of the workshop, and expressed intent to increase the frequency and quality of their physical activity and their classrooms' physical activity. According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2018), regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces the risk of many chronic diseases among children and adults. This intervention fosters healthy childcare environments as part of UC ANR's commitment to promoting health and wellness in the community.
Participants shared:
“It will help me support our preschool teachers to increase moderate to vigorous activity in our centers.”
“It will help incorporate physical activity into my classroom, not just recess.”
“Learned about physical activity and how to be more physical active.”
“To have more physical activities throughout the day and having a small activity can help my children."
- Author: Beatriz Adrianna Rojas
Thirteen participants improved nutrition practices after attending Kern EFNEP workshops with Mexican American Opportunity Foundation partner, contributing to UC ANR's public value of sufficient, safe, and healthy food in our communities.
The Issue
According to County Health Rankings & Roadmap, Kern County has a higher food insecurity rate than the state average at 23.8% versus 18%, respectively. Food insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources. In addition to issues of food access, almost 74% of Kern County adults are considered overweight or obese.
We know that healthy food access and food preparation skills are key to preventing obesity. Food safety skills are also essential for preventing foodborne illness, which leads to 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths each year (CDC.gov).
How UC Delivers
To proactively address food insecurity and obesity, the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) collaborated with the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), UCCE Kern County, to provide evidence-based nutrition lessons to adults on an annual basis. MAOF, established in 1963, is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide for the socioeconomic betterment of the greater Latino community while preserving the pride, values, and heritage of Mexican-American culture. MAOF, EFNEP, and UCCE Kern County staff provided 13 participants with a nine-week class using lessons from the Eating Smart, Being Active (ESBA) curriculum. ESBA is based on the latest research findings from the Dietary Guidelines and Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and offers information on physical activity, healthy lifestyle choices, food preparation, food safety, and food resource management. Participants received vital information that can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
The Impact
Seventy-seven percent of participants showed improvement in one or more food resource management practices (i.e., cook dinner at home, compare food prices, plan meals before shopping, look in refrigerator or cupboard before shopping, or make a list before shopping) and 62% of participants reported having enough money to buy food, which demonstrates improved food security.
All participants improved their healthy lifestyle practices. Significant changes among participants were documented using our Adult Questionnaire Survey, including improvement in one or more diet quality indicators (i.e., eating fruits, red, orange, and green vegetables, drinking less sugar-sweetened beverages and cooking dinner at home; b) 85% of participants showed improvement in one or more their physical activity behaviors (i.e., exercising for at least 30 minutes, doing workouts to build and strengthen muscles, or making small changes to be more active); and c) 85% of participants showed improvement in one or more evidence-based food safety practices (i.e., washing hands before preparing food, washing all items and surfaces after cutting raw meat or seafood, not thawing frozen food at room temperature, or using a meat thermometer), which can lead to a decrease in food borne illnesses, as stated by the CDC. Through this course, MAOF and EFNEP, UCCE Kern County are providing knowledge and skills that extend beyond participants to their entire families, which bolsters UC's public value of healthier families and communities.
“They all [participants] benefit from the information. They are more aware of what they are spending and how they can improve their budget and still eat nutritiously. Some participants have shared they recreated some of the recipes done in class.” - Two MAOF instructors.
These outcomes help UC ANR achieve improved food security and food safety in our communities, and represent the UC ANR's public value of safeguarding sufficient, safe, and healthy food for all Californians.
