Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

EFNEP Impacts

In FY 2008, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Massachusetts directly reached 1,860 adults and 3,458 youth with nutrition education. More than 4,700 family members were reached indirectly through our work with adult participants.

Reaching Those in Need

• 97% of our adult EFNEP participants were from households living at or below the poverty level.
• 49% of these households were receiving food assistance (such as WIC or SNAP benefits).
• 42% of adult participants were Hispanic/Latino.
• 8% of adult participants were pregnant or breastfeeding.
• 50% of adult participants had not completed high school and did not have a GED.
• Lowest income communities were targeted for the youth program.

Using Effective Methods

• EFNEP educators are from the communities where they teach.
• EFNEP uses a research-based adult curriculum CHOICES: Steps Toward Health that utilizes a learning-by-dialogue approach.
• Participants are co-teachers and teachers become co-learners so that participants’ backgrounds and experiences are respected and valued.
• 98% of adult participants were reached in a group setting; 100% of youth were reached in a group setting.
• 77% of adult participants either completed the program or were continuing at the end of the program year.
• Youth activities are active, hands-on, and provide experiential learning opportunities.

Changing Adult Behaviors

At the completion of the program:

• 96% of participants showed a positive change in consumption for at least one of the food groups.
• 84% of participants showed improvement in one or more nutrition practices (i.e., plan meals, prepare foods without adding salt, read nutrition labels, or have children eat breakfast).
• 80% of participants showed improvement in one or more food resource management practices (i.e., plan meals, compare prices, not run out of food, or use grocery lists).
• 59% of participants showed improvement in one or more food safety practices (i.e., thawing and storing foods properly).
• 26% of participants reported an increase in physical activity.

Influencing Youth

At the completion of the program:

• 99% of youth improved practices in food preparation and safety.
• 86% of youth increased their ability to select low-cost, nutritious foods.
• 55% of youth increased their knowledge of the essentials of human nutrition.

Involving the Community

• 270 volunteers (209 adults and 61 youth) contributed a total of 4 FTEs by providing support and administration for programming and/or assisting with nutrition education activities.
• 138 volunteers provided support for youth programming (1.2 FTE) while 132 volunteers (2.8 FTE) provided support for adult programming.
• Staff in our 5 EFNEP sites collaborated with 89 agencies and participated in 17 coalitions throughout Massachusetts.