Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the adults Need Dairy Too Program

Abstract

A Community Nutrition Education Program, "Adults Need Dairy Too", was evaluated, as an additional curriculum to the current CNEP curriculum, for its effectiveness on low-income CNEP participants' consumption of low fat/nonfat dairy products. The sample included 41 participants in the control group and 80 participants in the treatment group from various locations in Oklahoma. Data included 24-hour food recalls which were taken at pre and post treatment. From the recalls, one-milk equivalent servings were counted according to serving sizes listed on mypyramid.org. The curriculum was administered to the treatment group who were graduates of the current CNEP classes. The curriculum included six lessons, which focused on the importance of dairy, with tips, dairy snacks, and recipes to help incorporate low fat/nonfat dairy product consumption on a daily basis. The control group consisted of graduates of the current CNEP classes that were not taught the additional dairy curriculum. Frequency of CNEP participants' one-milk equivalent serving consumption between the treatment and control group at pre and post administration of additional dairy curriculum was analyzed using a paired T test. The frequency of changes in the participants' one-milk equivalent serving consumption from pre to post between treatment and control groups were also analyzed using a paired T test. No significant changes were noted in the frequency of CNEP participants' one-milk equivalent serving consumption between the treatment and control group at pre and post administration of additional dairy curriculum or in the frequency of changes in the participants' one-milk equivalent serving consumption from pre to post between treatment and control groups.