Program
Physician Assistant M.S.
Year Approved
2019
First Advisor
Michner, Mary
Abstract
It has been examined that poor access to nutritious foods and limited opportunities for physical activity is prevalent among children from underserved families. These deficiencies contribute to increasing childhood obesity rates and emphasize the need for early interventions. Establishing nutritional literacy and understanding the importance of an active lifestyle in early childhood can lead to long-term health benefits and reduction in chronic disease later in life (HHS & USDA, 2015; Tsai et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2011). The InSports Foundation serves as a comprehensive non-profit organization that addresses many of these issues by providing children from underserved families with access to nutrition education, organized sports activities, and opportunities to learn how to incorporate healthy changes in their daily lives. The purpose of this project was to provide the InSports Foundation with a comprehensive literature review that focused on the deleterious health effects of poor dietary intake and physical inactivity in children in order to support the InSports Foundation’s grant writing efforts. Another goal was to provide the camp nutrition educators with a more extensive, structured nutrition curriculum that was based upon researched information. Through a collaborative effort between the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) regional coordinator, the InSports Foundation core team members, and our project team members, we were able to revise the current nutritional curriculum to be more structured, comprehensive, and interactive. The InSports Foundation core team members were subsequently trained on the revised nutrition curriculum to train future volunteer nutrition educators to ensure the information is taught consistently. All written curriculum, visual props for interactive activities, and poster materials have been organized in a binder and given to the InSports Foundation.
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Physician Assistant
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Deters, P. D., Kaper, A., & Romanshek, M. (2019). Nutrition Education for the Underserved Youth within the Greater Twin Cities Area through the InSports Foundation [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/164
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