A Roadmap to Success: Ohio EFNEP's Journey to Implement the New Eating Smart Being Active Curriculum
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Date
2018-04
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Ohio State University. Office of Outreach and Engagement
Abstract
In 2017, Ohio EFNEP embarked on an exciting journey. The curriculum utilized in our EFNEP lessons, Eating Smart Being Active, was updated by Colorado State University. The Ohio EFNEP team reviewed the curriculum, gathered feedback from staff, and discussed implementation plans. Additional trainings equiped EFNEP staff with skills and knowledge to successfully implement the new curriculum, which features new physical activities and opportunities for food preparation in each lesson. The first wave of implementation began in October 2017; the second wave begins in April 2018. The new curriculum has been well-received by both current and new community partners. Evaluation and feedback has been used, and will continue to guide needed adjustments in implementation or training for the second wave. Join us as we develop our road map to success in enhancing nutrition practices, food safety, food resource management, and physical activity among EFNEP participants.
Description
The Ohio Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) embarked on an exciting journey this year. The EFNEP team worked together to implement the new Eating Smart Being Active (ESBA) adult curriculum for fiscal year 2018. This journey provided an opportunity to improve programming, practices, partnerships, and lives among participants and community partners. Ohio EFNEP is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture and operates through OSU Extension. EFNEP serves limited-income youth and adults who care for children. EFNEP utilizes interactive lessons to improve diet quality, food safety, food resource management, and physical activity. Lessons are taught by EFNEP program assistants (PAs). Ohio EFNEP utilizes the ESBA curriculum, which was updated by Colorado State University in March 2017. The project was met with legitimate concerns, such as asking our overwhelmed population to commit more time and energy, asking agencies for additional time from their programming to accommodate our change, and asking program assistants to add additional preparation, training, and equipment to their workload. The EFNEP staff reviewed the curriculum, and gathered feedback from PAs. Additional trainings were needed to equip staff with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully implement the curriculum, which features enhanced physical activity and food preparation. Trainings included: new curriculum overview, implementation guidelines, outreach and promotion strategies, physical activity, knife skills, food preparation, bloodborne pathogens, CPR, first aid, and ESBA mobile app. To help alleviate concerns about implementation, feedback from PAs was used to continuously shape the plan and trainings. The curriculum will be implemented in two waves in Ohio. Half of the adult PAs began teaching the new curriculum in October; the other half will begin in April. Evaluation data and feedback from the July trainings and teach backs were used to make improvements to the January training. Data from our reporting system (WebNEERS), and statistical analyses at the end of the fiscal year, will track changes in behavior outcomes, participants, and graduates. Various evaluation tools will be in place to allow for feedback during the first six and 12 months of implementation. EFNEP has a strong history of fostering positive behavior changes among participants. Nationally, EFNEP will celebrate 50 years of impact in 2019! We believe the new curriculum can lend to even greater impacts for participants and community partners. Throughout this journey, our team worked hard to prepare for and implement the changes effectively. We have begun to see results quickly. Some PAs already received positive feedback about the changes from participants and community partners.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Zoe Fawcett, EFNEP Research Associate, The Ohio State University Extension, fawcett.116@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Amy Habig, EFNEP Program Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension; Yvette Graham, EFNEP Program Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension.
AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Zoe Fawcett, EFNEP Research Associate, The Ohio State University Extension, fawcett.116@osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Amy Habig, EFNEP Program Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension; Yvette Graham, EFNEP Program Specialist, The Ohio State University Extension.
Keywords
EFNEP, community nutrition, curriculum
Citation
Engaged Scholars, v. 6 (2018).