Nutrition Education for Cancer Prevention among Low-Income Populations: An Extension of the EFNEP Model

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education 1999-01, Vol.31 (1), p.47-53
• Main Authors: Emmons, Karen M., Macario, Everly, Sorensen, Glorian, Kay Hunt, Mary, Rudd, Rima E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult Basic Education; Behavior Patterns; Cancer; Control Groups; Dietetics; disease prevention; Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program; food and nutrition programs; food intake; fruit; Low income groups; low income households; neoplasms; Nutrition education; nutritional intervention; Pilot projects; Prevention; risk reduction; social interaction; Teaching Methods; vegetables
• ISSN: 0022-3182; 1499-4046; 1708-8259
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3182(99)70384-5

This paper reports a pilot test of the feasibility of implementing an extension of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) home-based nutrition education intervention in order to maximize involvement of participants’ naturally occurring social networks and to target cancer prevention eating patterns. Community residents served as hostesses of a two-session “Nutrition Home Party” and invited at least six family members/friends to attend the sessions, which were held in their homes. Paraprofessionals indigenous to the community facilitated the sessions. Nutrition education sessions were based on the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts label, with emphasis placed on encouraging participants to consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day to reduce their risk of cancer. Preliminary experience with a home-based intervention model indicates that there is considerable potential for working through existing social networks to reach low-income populations.