Kansas Nutrition Network

KNN Monthly Newsletter

August 15, 2003

Welcome to our second Kansas Nutrition Network email newsletter! Special thanks to Joan Phillips and Samantha Sieben of HG Design Factory for assistance in setting this up. See http://www.hgdesign.com/
They put us in touch with Jeremy Doughty, a volunteer who has done the actual work to get this newsletter going. Thank you, Jeremy.

The Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the largest continuously conducted telephone health survey in the world. The questions include fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and other information that might be useful in your programming. The Kansas BRFSS site is www.kdhe.state.ks.us/brfss/ I use the following link to go directly to the fruit/vegetable information for Kansas

Note the “Grouping” in the upper right hand corner. You can group data by income, age, gender, etc. (Just a little aside. I sometimes refer to this as “Burr fuss.” So, if you hear me use that term, no, I’m not saying a bad word!)

Interested in census data? Try factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet You can get information for Kansas as a whole and also by county.

Click on www.govbenefits.gov This is the official government benefits web site which offers a free, confidential tool that helps clients find government benefits they may be eligible to receive.

Go to www.scottishpowerpipeband.com Roddy MacLeod was one of the piping instructors I had at bagpipe camp this summer. I played a tune with him – what a wonderful experience to play with one of the top pipers in the world. You can listen to a short audio of the Scottish Power Pipe Band, but not of our duet! (I just couldn’t resist putting this web site in our newsletter.)

For Social Marketing information, including a tutorial, go to www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/socialmarketing. This is the social marketing site for Health Canada and has definitions, a tutorial, case studies, and other information.

Extension En Espanol is a national clearinghouse for Spanish language educational resources by and for Extension professionals. You can download documents from the site. If you have material you need translated into Spanish you may request that.

3 A Day is the dairy message to get three servings of milk, cheese and yogurt each day, preferably low fat choices for everyone over the age of 2 years. See www.3aday.org/health/index.html Note the grant application for community programs interested in promoting dairy products with school age kids.

An interesting study was done looking at a fundamentally different approach toward measuring food stamp participation. Rather than looking at cross-sectional rates, this approach estimates the probabilities of food stamp use. Results of this study indicated that 49% of American children will at some time during their childhood receive food stamps, and 51% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 65 will do so.

Do you offer after school programs? Try www.kidsacooking.org for great recipes, handouts and videos. Videos and information are available in English and Spanish. This video has just won the Best Audio Visual materials award from the Kansas Public Health Association!

I think our 5 minutes is just about up. Send an email to Karen Fitzgerald kfitzger@ksu.edu if you have information you to include in next monthÿs KNN email newsletter.