Ohio Board of Dietetics

Today we were set to have a Karen, the executive director from the Ohio Board of Dietetics, come in to talk with us. Unfortunately she couldn't make it, but Dr. Holben spoke about the agency instead. He had a term on the the OBD, so we were able to hear information about the agency from his first hand experience. The Ohio Board of Dietetics is a government agency that has is own state licensure laws for dietetic professionals in the state of Ohio. Their mission is to effectively protect the public by regulating the practice of dietetics through licensure, and by fairly and consistently enforcing the laws and rules governing nutritional practices.

The program is funded completely by licensure fees. These fees are about $100 a year, and there are about 3,000 members. Registered dietitians play a large role in the Ohio Board of Dietetics because the executive director must be an RD. There are also five dietitian members and a dietetics educator on the Board. All members who are licensed in the state of Ohio must follow all of the regulations to protect the public. For example, RDs must take part in continuing education credits, jurisprudence events, and ethical CPEs. Members are evaluated on their adherence to these regulations, and could lose their licenses if they do not adhere to the guidelines. It was interesting to hear about the board. Each state has different licensure in dietetics. Ohio actually has the most regulations of all of the states. This will definitely help me when i am at the point in my career when I need to have state licensure to practice dietetics.

My group also met the second half of class and we talked about the relevant research of the plants we are planting in our garden for the DASH diet. We are all meeting on Monday morning to work in the garden. We are also all working on the assessment workbook, and making good progress.

WellWorks

Today Fancie Astrom, the registered dietitian from WellWorks came to talk to our class. WellWorks is a wellness program, primarily for OU faculty and staff. However, they also have memberships and programs for community members, graduate students, and corporations. Undergraduate students can also come in for nutrition counseling and participate in programs without a membership. WellWorks is funded by university wellness funds and membership fees. Their mission is to help individuals reach their optimal health for improvement of their health status. They are more focused on a wellness model instead of a medical model. They have many programs on site and around the community. At the WellWorks facility they have a fitness center, massage therapist, personal trainers, and nutrition counseling. The nutrition counseling is done by registered dietitians onsite. There is also a major need for volunteers to help with events and programs. They participate in risk reduction programs, work-site wellness, Heartworks, Healthy Ohio, pulmonary rehab, and medical screening tests such as cholesterol, blood pressure, anthropometrics, and body fat.These are just some of the many programs that WellWorks has to offer.

The programs are developed by identifying the needs of the OU community along with requests from individual departments and programs. The needs of corporate members and the university as a whole are also taken into account. All of the nutrition information given is supported by current and reviewed literature. WellWorks is an amazing facility that plays an active part in the community, and I was really interested in hearing about all of the programs they offer.

Agencies

Today in class we each presented our assigned nutrition related agency. I learned about a lot of programs that I have never heard of previously. My specific agency was the Summer Food Service Program which is used when children are on summer vacation and they cannot access the free school lunch or snack programs. It was interesting to hear about everyone's project. I am definitely going to print out everyone's worksheet so that I will have a reference in the future. I was also surprised to hear that Canada does not have any of these programs, even though they have free health care. We spend billions of dollars in the US to develop these various programs which is great.

Jobs and Family Services Speaker

Today Nick from Athens County Jobs and Family Services came to talk to us about his job and more specifically the food assistance programs. He spoke about the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) as well as some other options his workplace offers such as: medicaid, adult education, childcare, and job training. He mentioned that their funds are from the Federal and State government. The purpose and mission of his workplace is to help families and individuals with finding work as well as providing them with needs to live a healthier life. There are many programs that are available, however there are certain requirements that are needed to be eligible. For example, cash assistance can only be given to individuals with children. Also, there are certain guidelines that must be followed along with the specific program.

Job and Family Services receives orders from the State and Federal government. They are monitored and evaluated by the State government, which then relays the information to the Federal government. Monitoring and evaluation is important to make sure that no one is abusing the benefits and to check for errors in the system. Changes can then be made based on need. For example, more money could be allotted to a certain program based on word from the Federal government. Nick was also asked about the role of the nutrition professional in his workplace. I was interested to hear that they do not currently have a registered dietitian on staff. He said that they are provided with nutritional materials from the state which are passed on to the clients. I think they could benefit from an RD on staff, and there is a place for a nutrition professional in this field.

Nutrition Policy Continued and Farmers Markets

Today in class we finished up our lecture on nutrition policy, and we watched a video about how a bill becomes a law. The video helped explain the process of passing a law, and how difficult it can be. This led to our discussion of nutrition programs. We talked about some of the programs available through the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services. This will lead into our group discussion of nutrition programs next week.

We then watched a video about a new farmers market in Orangeburg, South Carolina. This town is known as a food desert because many residents are far away from fresh produce. Many of the individuals living here have nutrition related health problems. A farmers market was initiated outside of a health clinic to help promote fresh fruits and vegetables intake. The patients could actually receive coupons from their doctors for the farmers market which was a good incentive. This video described the process of starting, continuing, and changing the farmers market. They also discussed the needs assessment for the market, and this helped give me a better perspective of the process. Watching this movie will help me with writing my own needs assessment in this class for adults with hypertension on the DASH diet.

Health & Nutrition Policy

Today in class we started out with an activity where we had to write something on the chalkboard about food security. It was interesting to see how everyone in the class thought about the term, or what they associated food security with. The next topic that we started was Health and Nutrition Policy. We talked about health objectives such as the Healthy People 2020 and Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as well as guidance systems such as MyPlate. It was interesting to learn about how these guidelines are made and what processes they need to go through to be passed and continued.

I learned about the steps involved in policy making including: defining the problem/setting agenda; formulating alternatives; policy adoption; policy implementation; policy evaluation; and policy termination. We specifically compared this to the WIC program, which gave me a real world perspective. We also talked about the various surveys used to gather nutrition data, one of which being NHANES. They use a multiple pass method when interviewing the public about what they eat, so that all the foods consumed can be recorded.

I also learned a few fun facts that I didn't know before. I did not know that the SNAP program has no guidelines or measures on the specific food that users are buying. Therefore, unhealthy foods could be purchased with the supplemental money. There is however, extra money given to those who purchase healthy foods with their SNAP card. This is a good incentive to eat healthier, and a nice change.

Food Insecurity and Topic Discussion

Today in class we continued our discussion of food insecurity. We talked about the Guide to Measuring Household Food Security, Revised 2000 (Bickel et al.), which is a Canadian health survey used to indicate food security status. This questionnaire has 18 indicators for determining food security status and it only takes four minutes to administer. The survey is done once a year in December. We actually went through and took the survey and discussed the questions. The question is based on a point scale from 0-18: where 0 is on the food secure side and 18 on the severely food insecure side. I ended up with 0 total points meaning I am food secure. This survey really made me think of all the families that struggle with feeding themselves and their children. I am grateful that I have always been able to to buy food. We also learned about some of the coping strategies, risk factors, and consequences involved in food insecurity. This was very eye opening, and I am definitely looking forward to researching my agency that may help food insecure households.

Today we also were told our agency topic and group topic. The agency I will be researching is the Summer Food Service Program, which I am really excited about. My group is doing a needs assessment and garden plot for Adults with Hypertension, specifically using the DASH diet. We met as a group and discussed possible crops to plant including: green beans, summer squash, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, beets, and flax. The DASH diet is high in Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, and fiber as well as low in fat and salt. We tried to pick vegetables that followed these guidelines and that will grow well in the Spring.

Community Garden!

Today was our first trip to the community garden on campus. We met Maghan Lundsford, the interim Fitness Center Coordinator at WellWorks. She showed us to our plot and answered questions. She explained where to find the supplies, water, compost, and tools. She was very friendly and helpful, especially with suggesting possible crops that would grow well in the spring, in our ten week allotted time. She said that a plot of land for the entire summer is only $25! She said that she lived in an apartment without a yard, so the community garden was a great option for her. I thought this was a great deal, and I would love to have my own garden!

All of the groups picked their garden plots, and my group started working on our plot right away. We turned over the soil, and removed some weeds. My group discussed possible populations for our project as well. We are all really excited to start planting!

Gardening in this class will give me experience for my own garden one day. Gardening is an inexpensive way to grow your own fruits and vegetables, and I may suggest it to some of my patients in the future. For example, gardening can cut down the food costs, and help save money for families who may or may not be food insecure.