Cleveland County EFNEP

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), serves limited-resource families with young children, school-age youth, and pregnant teens through a series of lessons offered by paraprofessionals and volunteers, many of whom are indigenous to the population. Using "hands-on" experiences, participants are taught to: make wise choices with their food dollars, improve eating habits, and practice food safety principles.

EFNEP is offered through North Carolina Cooperative Extension as a part of university outreach at NC State University and NC A&T State University. In 2008, North Carolina EFNEP served 45 counties.

Unhealthy lifestyles have produced a significant impact on our local community. Four of the top five leading causes of death in Cleveland County (heart disease, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus) are all influenced by lifestyle choices. These four diseases resulted in 60% of deaths in Cleveland County during 2001-2005.

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provides nutrition education to limited resource families. In partnership with the Abuse Prevention Agency, EFNEP delivered a series of classes to residents. One resident wanted to know how she could better control her blood glucose. A food recall taken during the first session revealed that she was consuming large amounts of "empty-calorie" foods. She also reported that she was not currently including any physical activity as part of her daily routine.

Before graduating from EFNEP, this participant stated that her blood glucose had gone down from the 350's to the 150's. She also stated that what she learned in EFNEP (how to read food labels; portion control; increasing fruits and vegetables in her diet; and increasing daily physical activity to 30-40 minutes per day) made the difference.

A comparison of this partivipant's entry and exit food recalls and food behavior surveys showed she has made numerous healthy improvements in her choices and the choices for her family.