Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
1. What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? The high quality research being conducting by Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) scientists need to be made available to the general public. By creating a formal linkage between research and education, the value and impact of research findings can be disseminated more quickly and the implementation of those findings into programs that affect local people can be enhanced. Until this national position was established, there had been no formal mechanism to connect research conducted by ARS with cooperation from Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), with the educational opportunities available through the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). By locating a CSREES national program leader at this USDA/ARS facility at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX focusing
towards the area of maternal and child health, a model has been provided that "bridges" this gap. A new National Program Leader for Maternal and Child Health was hired in February 2005. Through presentations at regional and national meetings, responses to inquiries, and electronic publication of a newsletter entitled MCH LINKS for professionals and NUTRITION AND YOUR CHILD, written and designed for the public, the latest research from CNRC and other institutions, as well as educational resources, are accessible to practitioners, researchers, educators, paraprofessionals, educators, the media, consumers and students worldwide. Support for research is typically increased when the findings are disseminated, understood, and put into a context that allows for implementation into teaching and training materials, which ultimately benefits local citizens. This dissemination can be accomplished through accessing the Cooperative Extension System that entails a network of 9, 600 professionals
located in all 3,150 counties of United States and the U.S. territories. It also involves faculty and administrators in 103 land-grant universities, including sixteen 1890 institutions and 30 Native American institutions, plus 190 Hispanic serving educational institutions. It is an integral part of the ARS mission to see that scientific findings are transferred to the customer or end consumer. This position demonstrates that commitment in a very tangible way. The establishment of collaborations and partnerships increases the visibility and educational efforts of USDA and demonstrates a positive working relationship between ARS, BCM, and CSREES. This research falls within Components 1 (Nutrient Requirements) and 7 (Bioavailability of Nutrients and Food Components) of National Program 107 Human Nutrition. Additionally, this research adheres to ARS Strategic Plan Goal 4 Improve the Nation's Nutrition and Health, specifically Objective 4.1: Promote Healthier Individual Food Choices
and Lifestyles and Prevent Obesity; Improve Human Health by Better Understanding the Nutrient Requirements of Individuals and the Nutritional Value of Foods; Determine Food Consumption Patterns of Americans. 2. List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. No project plan is in place since this is not a research project per se. CSREES National Program Leader sets milestones as needed for the CNRC and as designed by CSREES managment. Fiscal Year 2005: Re-establish the database and distribution mechanism for MCH LINKS, which goes to over 5,000 professionals in 14 countries. Seek input from CSREES State Extension Specialists representing different regions of the county, different areas of expertise, and different amounts to determine their expectations about the role of the National Program Leader. Conduct interviews with CNRC scientists to better understand their research interests and to strategize on ways that ARS and CSREES can better work together. Attend
national conferences to provide information to intersted parties about the CNRC, CSREES, ARS and maternal and child health. Expected milestones for Fiscal Year 2006 are: Publish and distribute MCH LINKS. Serve as the Editor for Nutrition and Your Child and facilitate its distribution. Make 4-6 presentations at national meetings. Participate in the activities at CNRC. Serve as CSREES contact for the joint ARS-CNRC meeting for the American Baker's Association. Facilitate a meeting of researchers who are recipients of National Research Initiative at CNRC. Submit a section highlighting CNRC activities for the USDA-CSREES Portfolio Review. Serve as an exhibitor at 2-3 national meetings to promote the research and scholarly activities on CNRC scientists. Reach out to the media to distribute newsworthy items of interest related to maternal and child health. Continue to interact with other CSREES National Program Leaders in the development of joint programs. Establish collegial relationships
with other sites and professionals who are working in similar areas. Prepare a proposal to support hosting a special symposia on "Effective Dissemination of Nutrition Information." 3a List the milestones that were scheduled to be addressed in FY 2005. For each milestone, indicate the status: fully met, substantially met, or not met. If not met, why. 1. Re-establish the database and distribution mechanism for MCH LINKS, which goes to over 5,000 professionals in 14 countries. Milestone Substantially Met 2. Seek input from CSREES State Extension Specialists representing different regions of the county, different areas of expertise, and different amounts to determine their expectations about the role of the National Program Leader. Milestone Fully Met 3. Conduct interviews with CNRC scientists to better understand their research interests and to strategize on ways that ARS and CSREES can better work together. Milestone Fully Met 4. Attend national conferences to provide information to
intersted parties about the CNRC, CSREES, ARS and maternal and child health. Milestone Fully Met 3b List the milestones that you expect to address over the next 3 years (FY 2006, 2007, and 2008). What do you expect to accomplish, year by year, over the next 3 years under each milestone? Year 2006 Publish and distribute MCH LINKS. Accomplish: Exposure of nutrition research will be disseminated to an audience of persons in the nutritional arena. Serve as the editor for Nutrition and Your Child and facilitate its distribution. Accomplish: Exposure of nutrition research will be disseminated to an audience of persons in the nutritional arena. Make 4-6 presentations at national meetings. Accomplish: Nutritional research will be shared with members of the nutritional network and greater exposure of children's nutritional research, ARS, BCM, and CSREES will be accomplished. Participate in the activities at CNRC. Accomplish: Permits National Program Leader to be informed of research
findings, challenges, and means of diffusing CNRC accomplishments to the primary users. Serve as CSREES contact for the joint ARS-CNRC meeting for the American Baker's Association. Accomplish: Work closely with association groups and develop networks as appropriate. Facilitate a meeting of researchers who are recipients of National Research Initiative at CNRC. Accomplish: Build knowledge base and understanding of NRI procedures. Submit a section highlighting CNRC activities for the USDA-CSREES Portfolio Review. Accomplish: Will document CNRC activities to CSREES for greater understanding of research accomplishments and provide distribution to the existing Cooperative Extension System network. Serve as an exhibitor at 2-3 national meetings to promote the research and scholarly activities on CNRC scientists. Accomplish: Exhibition at these national meetings will be a direct conduit for presenting the mission of ARS, BCM, and CSREES, thereby relationship with possible collaborators may
be formed. Reach out to the media to distribute newsworthy items of interest related to maternal and child health. Accomplish: Provides desirable exposure to the end customers. Continue to interact with other CSREES National Program Leaders in the development of joint programs. Accomplish: Possible opportunities will be investigated to build upon the strengths of the agencies and institutions involved. Establish collegial relationships with other sites and professionals who are working in similar areas. Accomplish: Provides a greater understanding of the ARS National Program - Human Nutrition and looks for common areas of interest and linkages with CSREES and other institutions. Prepare a proposal to support hosting a special symposia on "Effective Dissemination of Nutrition Information." Accomplish: This proposal will be the primary step in hosting a symposia on the dissemination of nutritional research information. 4a What was the single most significant accomplishment this past
year? National Program Leader Builds Linkages for Future Success The National Program Leader position had been vacant for almost two years, thus a greater understanding was needed by the newly appointed incumbent to establish linkages between CSREES, ARS, and the Baylor College of Medicine cooperators. The National Program Leader for Maternal and Child Health, established linkages with CNRC faculty and staff to permit her understanding of the scope and breadth of research conducted and planned at the Children's Nutrition Research Center in Houston, TX. This allowed her to identify the relationships that could be formed between the CNRC researchers with her Extension colleagues and the scientific community. This accomplishment will reap numerous achievements in a variety of ways impacting the nutritional community over the course of many years. 5. Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. Since coming on board in
February 2005, efforts have been made to re- establish the database and distribution mechanism for MCH LINKS, which goes to over 5,000 professionals in 14 countries. The responsibility of editing and facilitating the distribution of NUTRITION AND YOUR CHILD has been assumed as part of this project. A telephone survey was conducted with 10 CSREES State Extension Specialists representing different regions of the country and different areas of expertise, to determine their expectations about the role of the National Program Leader. In addition, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 CNRC scientists to better understand their research interests and to strategize on ways that ARS and CSREES can better work together. A display highlighting CNRC research and activities was exhibited at the Priester Conference National Extension Conference in Lexington, KY, in April 2005, at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in New Orleans, LA, in July 2005, at the Second National Nutrition
Education Conference in Arlington, VA, in September 2005, and at the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Science (NEAFCS) in Philadelphia in September 2005. Whenever CNCR is highlighted to different groups of professionals awareness is increased and individuals have a better understanding of the magnitude of CNRC research. Participants at these meetings were given an opportunity to be on the CNRC mailing list and to receive NUTRITION AND YOUR CHILD. In addition the participants had an informal opportunity to dialogue with a CNRC representation. This research falls within Components 1 (Nutrient Requirements) and 7 (Bioavailability of Nutrients and Food Components) of National Program 107 Human Nutrition. Additionally, this research adheres to ARS Strategic Plan Goal 4 Improve the Nation's Nutrition and Health, specifically Objective 4.1: Promote Healthier Individual Food Choices and Lifestyles and Prevent Obesity; Improve Human Health by Better Understanding
the Nutrient Requirements of Individuals and the Nutritional Value of Foods; Determine Food Consumption Patterns of Americans. 6. What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end- user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? As appropriate research is published and approved by the scientists it is incorporated into NUTRITION AND YOUR CHILD and MCH LINKS and disseminated across the electronic system. Additionally, satellite down-linked programming is now available at CNRC. The ability to secure programs from across the country that are applicable to the scientists and other professionals from the Medical Center institutions adds a valuable dimension to our outreach and educational efforts. Constraints to both electronic and satellite transmission involve the functioning of the systems, the abilities
of various constituencies to access them and the multiple problems involved in being able to interface across a variety of different equipment and programs. 7. List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Swanson, M. 2005. Maternal and child health from research to implementation. Society for Nutrition Education's Annual Conference, July 24, 2005, Orlando, Florida. Swanson, M. 2005. Home availability and accessibility of fruit, juice and vegetables impacting child consumption. Food and Nutrition Extension Educators Pre-conference, July 23, 2005, Orlando, Florida. Swanson, M. 2005. Impact of policy change on middle school student lunch consumption. Food and Nutrition Extension Educators Pre-conference, July 23, 2005, Orlando, Florida.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
|