Date of Graduation

Spring 2016

Document Type

Honors Research Project

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Major

Dietetics - Didactic Program

Research Sponsor

Christin Seher

First Reader

Denise Stuart

Second Reader

Larry Weigle

Abstract

This project is a community-based program conducted in a local community center, First Glance. It specifically worked with the Teen Mom and Young Mom programs as well as with their children in the Tiny Glancers program. Over the course of a year the authors planned, created, and implemented an interdisciplinary nutrition education unit with the objective of increasing their nutrition and health awareness while providing support in education fundamentals such as math skills and social-cultural awareness. The unit included pre-assessment surveys as well as round-table discussions with the participants to establish base knowledge, correlating yet age-appropriate lessons for the moms and their children, and a post-assessment to see what the participants retained.The curriculum was delivered over the period of 16 weeks and had over 25 participants throughout the unit. While limited by barriers such as socioeconomic status, access to healthy foods, support, education level, etc., the results in participation and change seen in habits and knowledge implied that this approach to nutrition education and the math and cultural components that accompany it succeeded in helping the participants have better nutrition awareness and application of their new knowledge.

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