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P002: Public Health Division

P002: Number of WIC clients participating in food tastings in WIC clinics with kitchens

Current Value

986#

FY 2018

Definition

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Story Behind the Curve

  • In 2017, 65.7% of New Mexico’s adults were overweight or obese. Adults with lower socioeconomic status are at greater risk for adopting unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, becoming overweight or obese, and developing chronic disease. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clients qualify as low-income and at nutrition risk. Food tastings reinforce nutrition education received at WIC clinics.
  • There are no national measures that are comparable to this one. However, the WIC food-tasting initiative promotes an increase in the variety and contribution of fruits and vegetables eaten, which is an objective of the Healthy People 2020 initiative.
  • WIC clinics and nutrition educators are working together to provide added-value healthy food tastings and education to WIC clients. Local and statewide partners meet to share information, successes, and address challenges to improve the implementation model.
  • During FY19-Q1, progress implementing food tastings and/or food demonstrations in WIC clinics was limited due to WIC rollout of new data collection and management software.
  • In FY19-Q2, the NMDOH Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Program and New Mexico State University will continue implementation of food tastings/cooking demonstrations in six WIC clinics and recruit two additional WIC clinics to participate.
     

Partners

  • NMDOH WIC Program
  • County-level WIC staff providing services in public health offices
  • New Mexico State University (NMSU) Cooperative Extension Service nutrition educators
  • Healthy Kid Healthy Community (HKHC) coordinators and/or health promotion staff in Curry, Roosevelt, Socorro, Otero, Sandoval, and Valencia counties

What Works

With the addition of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) funding in FY16, ONAPA expanded its reach to the low-income adult population for the first time, specifically those participating in food assistance programs within tribal communities and high-poverty counties. The SNAP-Ed program has the greatest potential impact on nutrition and physical activity behaviors when interventions and strategies are geared towards low-income women and children. Targeting women and children captures a majority of SNAP-eligible recipients, many of whom also receive WIC benefits, and provides an opportunity to reinforce and build upon nutrition and physical activity education strategies across multiple programs.

Strategy

ONAPA, WIC, and New Mexico State University are coordinating efforts to provide nutrition education through the implementation of food tastings and cooking demos for WIC recipients using WIC eligible foods, primarily fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

Action Plan

Q1: Continue to partner with NMSU SNAP-Ed to implement food tastings and/or cooking demonstrations in six WIC clinics. Unmet due to WIC transition to new software.
Q2: Recruit two additional WIC clinics to implement food tastings and/or cooking demonstrations. 
Q3: Partner with regional WIC managers to market and promote implementation efforts to increase participation.
Q4:  Collect pre and post survey data from one WIC clinic on value of food tastings and/or food demonstrations to WIC clients.
 

FY18 Annual Progress Summary

  • Nutrition education cooking lessons and tastings provided by Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition Educators were successfully established in six WIC clinics in six counties. WIC participants regularly visit WIC clinics to receive their benefits and WIC nutrition education classes. The additional cooking lessons and tastings provided low-income mothers exposure to new, healthy foods and recipes through free classes. Classes occurred once a month, twice a month, or weekly, depending on Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition Educators’ availability.
  • Successful recruitment for classes included phone call reminders to participants the day before, half page flyers and wallet cards for participants to take home, and flyers posted in each WIC clinic.
  • Milestones were met due to strong partnership and consistent communication with WIC clinic managers and Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition Educators. An unforeseen transition in the software that WIC uses impacted quarter four plans to expand into additional WIC clinics.

FY19 Annual Progress Summary

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