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Improving Nutrition for Maryland Families and Youth

What is EFNEP?

• EFNEP is the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maryland Cooperative Extension, University of Maryland, College Park, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

EFNEP Mission

• To help limited-income families and youth acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behavior changes necessary to maintain nutritionally sound diets and enhance personal development.

Objective of EFNEP

• Make nutritious food choices
• Manage food budgets and resources wisely
• Improve prenatal nutrition and infant feeding practices
• Adopt breastfeeding
• Improve overall health and fitness through diet and exercise
• Reduce risks of chronic diseases and their complications, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes through dietary changes and early diagnosis
• Practice proper food safety, sanitation, and storage methods
• Achieve lasting improvements in nutrition and food safety related behaviors

EFNEP adults are taught individually or in small groups. The program is delivered in a culturally sensitive manner. In Montgomery county, the curriculum is delivered to Vietnamese families in Vietnamese language and in Montgomery and Prince George's counties to Hispanic families in Spanish.

In 1998-99, EFNEP nutrition assistants (paraprofessionals) under the supervision of nutrition educators, delivered nutrition education to 3,029 families and 9,141 youths in 9 Maryland counties and the city of Baltimore.

Creating Community Partnerships For Success

Our community partners are:

• The Center For Poverty Solutions, The Super Pantry Program
• The WIC Program
• The Maryland State Department of Education
• The Headstart Program
• English as Second Language Program

EFNEP collaborates with The Center for Poverty Solutions to offer The Super Pantry Program. Goals of The Super Pantry Program are:

• Help Participants Become Food Secure
• Improve the Diet and Nutritional Status of Participants
• Increase Self Reliance and Self Esteem
• Create Strong Support Networks
• Empowerment

The Program includes:

• Eight (two hours each) lessons
• A bag of groceries to carry home
• The opportunity to prepare and consume the foods prepared
• Recipes
• Tips regarding food safety, food storage
• Food budgeting, supermarket shopping, unit price, understanding food labels, cutting fat from foods
• Use of the food guide pyramid

The program also provides information about food co-ops, and other programs such as The Share Program and The Ship Program which allow clients to stretch their food dollars.

Dealing With Diverse Audiences

• Use of indigenous paraprofessionals for delivering the EFNEP message
• Diversity training of educators to foster cultural competence
• Programming that is culturally appropriate:
• African American Teens
• New Hispanic Immigrants
• Vietnamese Population: Programs are delivered to the Vietnamese population in Vietnamese and extended via educational programming on Vietnamese Public Radio, which reaches audiences in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland
• Programming for Hispanic Populations in Spanish and for New Hispanic Immigrants while teaching English as a Second Language
• Website on Nutrition Education Materials in languages other than English in collaboration with Information Specialists at the National Agriculture Library

In 1999 Adult EFNEP participants made several important changes involving nutrition and food safety

• 93 percent showed improvement in one or more food resource management practices
• 95 percent showed improvement in one or more nutrition practices
• 82 percent showed improvement in one or more of the food safety practices

Outcomes of EFNEP (1998-99)

• 80 found employment
• 369 returned to school/college
• 103 completed their GED
• 585 had their children immunized
• 665 went for a physical examination, including a mammogram or pap smear
• 366 left TANF
• 905 filed for tax credit

Our Partners

Center for Poverty Solutions; Maryland WIC Program; Head Start Program; Food Stamp Program; GED Programs; Health & Recreation Centers; Public Housing; Family Support Centers; School Parent Groups; Schools for Teenage Mothers; Centers for Recovering Addicts; Transitional Housing Groups; Churches; Salvation Army; American Cancer Society; Other Community & State Agencies; English as Second Language Program