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The purpose of this newsletter is to provide quick contacts to KNN partner agencies and to other resources that might be helpful to our partners. You should be able to read this newsletter in less than 5 minutes – that’s our goal!

KNN November 2007 Newsletter

Welcome to the November issue of KNN’s email newsletter. Please visit our web site at www.kansasnutritionnetwork.org We are always interested in how our partners are “partnering” to improve nutrition and physical activity education throughout Kansas.
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Upcoming KNN Meetings and Other Important Dates!!!

November 16th, KNN Partner Meeting -Topeka - Clubhouse Inn - 10am - 2pm

January 18th, 2008 - KNN Partner Meeting - Manhattan

March, 2008 - To be determined

May 13-14, 2008 Kansas Conference on Poverty - Topeka
This is a wonderful resource for understanding federal legislation focused on nutrition.
http://www.ansanutrition.org/mapping.html

USDA announced the 2007 Secretary's Honor Award for Improving the Nation's Nutrition and Health to the State Nutrition Action Plans (SNAP) for fostering integrated, cross-program and comprehensive nutrition education approaches in nutrition assistance programs, resulting in the development of State-wide nutrition action plans and enhanced cross-program collaboration. In Kansas, SNAP is led by Karen Fitzgerald, Coordinator of the Kansas Nutrition Network. SNAP programs this year will be held in Wyandotte, Sedgwick and Finney counties, and in the past have been held in Saline, Barton, Sumner, Abilene, and Meade counties.

Food Stamp Characteristics: Most food stamp recipients in FY 2006 were children (49%) or elderly (9%), according to USDA’s report, “Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2006.” Many food stamp recipients worked and 41% of all food stamp participants lived in a household with earnings. Less than 13% of food stamp households had incomes above the poverty line, while 39% had incomes at or below half the poverty line. Between 1990 and 2006, the primary source of income among food stamp participants shifted from welfare to work. The percentage of households with no cash income of any kind doubled (from 7% to 14%). http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/FSP/FILES/Participation/2006Characteristics.pdf http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/FSP/FILES/Participation/2006CharacteristicsSummary.pdf

How Much Do You Know? USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service recently recognized the 30th birthday of the signing of the Food Stamp Act of 1977. Below are some fun facts about the Food Stamp Program (FSP) that you may not know.
• In 1977, the average food stamp benefit per person was $24.71. In 2006, the average benefit per person was $94.31.
• Since 2001, FNS has awarded $13 million in outreach grants to 78 private non-profit, faith-based and public organizations.
• We recognize the importance of serving all clients in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner. FSP information and outreach materials are now available in 34 different languages.
• In 2005, 50% of participants were children; 13% were Hispanic and 8% were elderly (60 years of age or older.)
• In 2000, 17.1 million people participated in the FSP. Today, there are more than 26 million participants, a 34 percent increase in participants over the past seven years.

FSP Promising Practices - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/outreach/promising/Default.htm


Food Stamp Informational Materials in Other Languages - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/outreach/translations.htm


FSP Program Data - http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/fspmain.htm


A Short History of the FSP - http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/rules/Legislation/history.htm


This Economic Research Report analyzes multiple years of cross-sectional data to understand trends in the relationship between food assistance program participation and body weight. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR48/

This series of Economic Information Bulletins compiles evidence to help answer the question of whether the Food Stamp Program can do more to improve the food choices of participants. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB29/



Go to this website for more information about buying or printing stickers to reinforce physical activity. These stickers go along with the University of Missouri MyActivity Pyramid for 6 to 11 year olds. http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/foodnut/n00851.htm

An education program which successfully cut the level of obesity in children by teaching them about healthy eating and discouraging fizzy drinks was no longer effective three years after the intervention came to an end, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008193447.htm
Food Manufacturers Revamping Snacks to Keep Products in California Schools
California education officials say that a new law banning the sale of junk food and other unhealthy fare in schools has done little to improve students' food options because food manufacturers have simply reformulated snack products to meet the nutrition standards.
Why the Undervalued Playtime May be America's Best Investment for Healthy Kids and Healthy Schools Sports4Kids has successfully brought safe and healthy play to 130 schools in Baltimore, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Download the Recess Rules report. Watch a video about the program.
For kids, a full plate counts, not calories. Researchers wanted to know if kids would naturally compensate for reduced-calorie menus by eating extra amounts later in the day or the following day. But they didn’t. The lesson for parents and care givers who are worried about their child’s weight is to come up with lower-calorie versions of their kid’s favorite foods.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/for-kids-at-mealtime-portions-count-not-calories/
I think our 5 minutes is just about up. Send an email to Karen Fitzgerald kfitzger@ksu.edu if you have information you want to include in next month’s KNN email newsletter.
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