Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Poster Session II, Friday, March 16, 2007, 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area II


A Community Assessment on Nutritional Health: A Service-Learning Project

Amanda Smith, Jenna Englund, Jacklyn Brisson, Kaitlin Sweeney and Srijana Bajracharya, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

Obesity with its related health problem has become a national concern. In order to meet the needs of this national crisis, health professionals including college students need to work together and focus their attention and energy to this disorder. The purpose of this study was to help a community health initiative through a service-learning project that was integrated into a health education course. Service-learning offers the opportunity for students to see the relevance of course material to their lives and society. The project focused on determining nutritional status of individuals living in a small Central New York community using both primary and secondary data. A pilot study to collect primary data from a convenience sample of 50 community members was initiated using a short 21-item survey on the perceived health status, food buying, and food intake behaviors. The primary data from the community were compared to the county, state, and national average to examine the status of local community. The secondary data were gathered from available government documents. Based on the findings a set of recommendations for the further scientific research, healthy nutrition intake for the community, and strategies for service-learning projects for college university students are provided.
Keyword(s): assessment, nutrition, obesity issues

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