Progress 02/15/18 to 02/14/22
Outputs
Target Audience: This internship program aimed at: (1) incresing awareness of, preparation for, and entry into community nutrition and public health careers; and (2) enhancing students' career/professional planning and preparation.During the fall and spring semesters, interns participated in 20 weekly sessions that included: 1) an orientation to the internship program, 2) didactic and experiential learning activities related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based health programs promoting healthy eating and exercise; and 3) career/professional development workshops and career fairs. Briefly described, during orientation interns: a) received information about the overall goal and objectives of the internship, b) met the Eye to the Future coordinator, and c) received a binder with a syllabus of the training program that included a schedule of project activities, trainings, and mentoring sessions along with deadlines to complete assignments and assessments. The didactic seminars covered the following three major topics: health programs design, implementation and evaluation. Program design focused on: 1) curriculum development principles (e.g., preparing lesson plans with specific learning objectives, and planning activities), tips for developing educational print material (e.g., handouts or brochures) and use of digital media to achieve lesson plan objectives; 2) instruction principles including basic teaching and classroom management techniques; activity, discussion, and demonstration facilitation; and sensitivity to cultural and developmental issues associated with teaching adolescents; and, 3) recruitment plan development, recruitment strategies for diverse communities (e.g., community engagement, social media) and recruitment materials' preparation (e.g., flyers).Program implementation training instructed interns on: 1) how to prepare a project implementation plan that includes specific items (e.g., purchase supplies, train staff, secure facilities, and preparation of instructional materials), deadlines, and staff roles and assignments; 2) how to monitor the program's implementation progress until its completion; and 3) strategies on how to deal with programmatic problems or challenges to achieve goals and objectives. Program evaluation trainingfocused on methods for determining the effectiveness of a community-based healthy lifestyle intervention named BOUNCE to Health in achieving its objectives. Sessions emphasized: 1) scientific ethics for protecting subject rights and confidentiality; 2) selection of assessment instruments; and, 3) data collection and data entry procedures. Experiential Learning and Career/Professional Development Activities- For the first two years of the study, interns assisted in the delivery of experiential learning activities of a 4-week BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention. This intervention included nutrition education, exercise, and behavioral psychoeducational family-based interventions to reduce obesity in Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14 years) who are overweight. During the BOUNCE implementation, as a group, interns: 1) facilitated 12 BOUNCE nutrition sessionsand cooking demonstrations; 2) learned the BOUNCE curriculum; 3) led group activities and worked with subgroups of children and their parents to help them achieve their nutrition goals: and 4) participated in several personal career preparation and professional development activities described in the products section. Due to the COVID pandemic during 2020-2021, we adapted all our recruitment, intern trainings and learning experiential activities to be implemented in a virtual format. Consequently, during the 2021-2022 study year, the recruitment and training for the third cohort of interns occurred virtually. Interns also implemented and evaluated a nutrition and physical lifestyle program for Spanish-speaking families virtually. We recruited 34 Hispanic students (90% females) out of 36 proposed interns. Out of the 34 recruited students, 6 dropped out of the internship program because they needed to take care of a sick family member (30% of our interns had a family member or themselves had COVID) or they got a full-time job. We had an 82% internship completion rate. Demographic characteristics of the interns are described next. The age range for all interns was between 19 and 29 years old, with a mean age of 22.4 years (SD = 2.5). Most of the interns (79%) reported being born in the United Stated, 14% reported being born Central or South American, and 7% report being born in Mexico. Over the three cohorts 68% of interns reported being bicultural and 32% of interns identified themselves with the non-Hispanic domain. The average of 3.4 people resided in their households, ranging from zero to five. Finally, 57% reported household incomes of $50,000 or less. In terms of academic affiliations, over half of the interns (64%) attended the University of Houston's Main Campus, 25% attended the University of Houston's Downtown Campus, and 11% attended Houston Community College. In terms of college classification, 14% of interns were sophomores, 18% were juniors, 43% were seniors, and 21% were college graduates seeking to apply to a dietetic internship. Over half of the interns majored in health-related fields (36%) or major in nutrition (25%). In addition, 18% of interns reported majoring in biology to pursue a career in medicine, 11% of interns majored in kinesiology, and 10% of interns majored in other disciplines such as engineering or exercise science with a minor in nutrition. Changes/Problems:We would like to share deeper how COVID impacted our study. Due to the COVID epidemic, we asked for a no cost extension for 2020, which was granted. During the COVID epidemic recruitment and retention of Hispanic student was remarkable challenging as many eligible Hispanic students experienced major challenges which hindered their willingness to participate or continue to participate in this study. Some students reported that they or a family member had COVID, lost a job, were depressed and stressed out due to isolation and inability to see grandparents or other relatives. As a result of the COVID epidemic, we conduct all recruitment effors and didactic trainings and professional development (including mentring) and experiential learning virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Development Training Resume development workshop- Interns developed a resume and/or curriculum vitae geared towards their field of interest(s). All interns were required to create a resume and they received individual feedback regarding their resumes. Career assessment- Interns took the Strong Interest Inventory and engaged with the Focus 2 online career and education planning system to assess their career interests. Following the career assessments, they received individual feedback regarding results and career guidance from UH career counselors. Professional branding- In large and small groups interns learned about professional communication, networking and personal branding. Interns implemented these skills when they served as recruiters for the BOUNCE Program during the career fair that took place in UH Main campus. As BOUNCE Program recruiters they interviewed applicants and answered their questions regarding the program. Job Interviewing Training Job search support- Interns were provided job search support through the use of UH's Cougar Pathway career management system. Networking techniques Career workbook- Interns received an interactive career workbook manual that corresponded with the career development curriculum and job-search related topics. Mentoring sessions Interns participated in individual and group mentoring sessions with assigned mentor. The aim of these mentoring sessions was to help mentees explore their short- and long-term career/educational goals, monitor mentees progress, and coach them on utilizing career counseling and consultation opportunities available at UH Career services office. Collaborating mentors from the health industry served as guest speakers e.g., Dr. Deborah Thompson, Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA Children's Nutrition Research Center; Dr. Beverly Gor, Staff Analyst, City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services; Ryan Boyce, Risk Solutions Consultant at Texas Association of School Boards. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Conference Presentations Ledoux, T., *Alexander, T., Thompson, M., Olmedo, C., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. (2021, October 16-18). Experiential internship to encourage Hispanic students to enter the nutrition and dietetics professions. [Conference poster]. Food and Nutrition Convention and Exposition of the Academy of the Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatrightpro.org/media/press-releases/food-and-nutrition-conference-and-expo *Alexander, T., Ledoux, T., McCarley, K., Thompson, M., Olmedo, C., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. (2020, July, 20-24). Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators. [Conference poster]. Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, United States. **Ledoux, T. A., *Esat, G., McCarley, K., Arbona, C., Thompson, M., & Olvera, N. (2019, October). Eye to the Future: Developing the next generation of nutrition professionals. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Philadelphia, PA.**Awarded First Place Innovator in Nutrition Dietetics Practice and Education at the eleventh annual Food and Nutrition Conference Expo. *Martinez, N., Li, N., *Velazquez, D., *Reyes, Y., *Saldana, S., & Olvera, N. (2019, October). Lace up and Move: A mindful wellness intervention for Latino and African American youth. Poster presented at the 2019 Texas Society of Public Health Education Conference, Houston, Texas. *Martinez, N., *Range, C., *Velazquez, D., *Argueta, A., Li, N., & Olvera, N. (2019, September). A mindful exercise and nutrition intervention for minority early adolescents. Poster presented at the meeting of the Food and Family Conference sponsored by the Family Resilience Center, University of Illinois-Urbana, Chicago, Ill. **Henao, N., *Martinez, N., *Posada, L.,& Olvera, N.(2018, December).BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle Summer Intervention for Latino and African American Early Adolescents.Paper presented at the meeting of the University of Houston,Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas. *Esat, G., *Yanez, J., & Olvera, N.(2018, December).Eye to the Future: Developing the next generation of childhood obesity prevention professionals.Poster presented at the meeting of the University of Houston,Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas. *Henao,N., *Chacon, N., *Bang, S., * Lute, S., & Olvera, N. (2018, October). Glycemic index andeating practices of Hispanic and African American children. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the University of Houston, Undergraduate Research Day, Houston, Texas. *Henao,N., *Martinez, N., *Naveira, E., *Anzures, E., & Olvera, N. (2018, October). The kitchen detective: What is in your kitchen? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the University of Houston, Undergraduate Research Day, Houston, Texas. *Yanez, J. G., *Rojas, A., *Velazquez, D., *Lute, S., *Manzano, M., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. (2018, October). The association among acculturation, anxiety, sleep quality, and weight status in Latina mothers. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the University of Houston, Undergraduate Research Day, Houston, Texas. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Recruit, retain, and engage Hispanic students into the Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators Internship Program. We recruited 34 Hispanic students (90% females) out of 36 proposed interns. Six interns who dropped out because they could not fulfill internship requirements due to taking care of a family member sickness (including or getting a full-time job.) We had an 82% internship completion rate. In terms of age, interns ranged from 19 to 29 years old, with a mean age of 22.4 years (SD = 2.5). Most of the interns (79%) reported being born in the United Stated, 14% reported being born Central or South American, and 7% report being born in Mexico. Over the three cohorts 68% of interns reported being bicultural and 32% of interns identified themselves with the non-Hispanic domain. The average of 3.4 people resided in their households, ranging from zero to five. Finally, 57% reported household incomes of $50,000 or less. In terms of academic affiliations, over half of the interns (64%) attended the University of Houston's Main Campus, 25% attended the University of Houston's Downtown Campus, and 11% attended Houston Community College. In terms of college classification, 14% of interns were sophomores, 18% were juniors, 43% were seniors, and 21% were college graduates seeking to apply to a dietetic internship. Over half of the interns majored in health-related fields (36%) or major in nutrition (25%). In addition, 18% of interns majored in biology to pursue a career in medicine, 11% in kinesiology, and 10% in other disciplines such as engineering or exercise science with a minor in nutrition. Of the 28 students who completed the Eye to the Future internship, 91% reported that their training workshops, and experiential learning experiences were extremely relevant and 90% reported that their career/professional development training was extremely relevant. Overall, 90% of the interns reported that the workshops/training sessions were very engaging. At the end of the program, interns reported increased-level of community nutrition and public health programming knowledge and skills, and career readiness. Objective 2: Provide a 15-week internship for Hispanic students aimed at teaching entry level skills for developing, delivering, and evaluating a healthy lifestyle program (i.e., BOUNCE). Interns completed didactic sessions on how to design, develop, and evaluate community-based health programs and assisted as facilitators, instructors, and evaluators of the BOUNCE to Health intervention (face-to-face) and a six- week virtual nutrition and exercise program. In total, the Eye to the Future program offered interns 21 workshops/training sessions. Over the course of the program, each workshop/training session had an average of 8 of the ten interns in attendance for an average of 86% attendance rate. Participants who completed the Eye to the Future Intervention Program showed improvements in entry-level community nutrition and public health knowledge and skills. Interns were asked to complete both a pre- and post-test assessment related to nutrition knowledge. Across the 28 interns who completed the pretest, the average percentage of correct responses was 56% (SD = 10.0).) The average percentage of correct responses on the post-test was 69% (SD = 14.1). In addition, all interns led a minimum of two nutrition education sessions and developed lessons plans and instructional materials. Interns also led cooking demonstrations and conducted pre- and post- assessments to evaluate the impact of the BOUNCE intervention. An observational evaluator rated 90% of the interns as effective health educators during the sessions. Samples of interns' testimonials are: "It was an amazing experience. I am very thankful for such a great opportunity." "I liked how engaged we were in the BOUNCE program." "This internship program prepared me well for my job interview. During a job interview I was asked to describe my experience in recruiting Hispanic families and developing nutrition or healthy lifestyle programs. I was excited to share with job interviewer my internship experience on developing and delivering community health programs designed for Hispanics." Objective 3. Provide career/professional development training to interns for community nutrition and public health careers. Students received one-on-one and group mentorship, participated in career development/planning activities (such as resume writing and networking skills) and interfaced with health professionals and employers in health-related industries in seminars and a career fair. As result of these activities, of the interns who completed the Eye to the Future internship program, 90% reported career aspirations in community nutrition and public health. Career aspirations included: emergency medicine providers, social workers, nurse practitioners, registered dieticians, and physical therapists. A follow up assessment showed that 65% of the interns attended graduate school to pursue their career aspirations. In the words of one of the interns: "The BOUNCE program has definitely given me a lot of work experience in the development, delivery of health programs in the community. Overall, this program gave me an opportunity to develop my skills and to explore the possibilities of health professional careers for the future."
Publications
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Progress 02/15/20 to 02/14/21
Outputs
Target Audience:This internship program aimed at: (1) incresing awareness of, preparation for, and entry into community nutrition and public health careers; and (2) enhancing students' career/professional planning and preparation.During the fall and spring semesters, interns participated in 20 weekly sessions that included: 1) an orientation to the internship program, 2) didactic and experiential learning activities related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based health programs promoting healthy eating and exercise; and 3) career/professional development workshops and career fairs. Briefly described, during orientation interns: a) received information about the overall goal and objectives of the internship, b) met the Eye to the Future coordinator, and c) received a binder with a syllabus of the training program that included a schedule of project activities, trainings, and mentoring sessions along with deadlines to complete assignments and assessments. The didactic seminars covered the following three major topics: health programs design, implementation and evaluation. Program design focused on: 1) curriculum development principles (e.g., preparing lesson plans with specific learning objectives, and planning activities), tips for developing educational print material (e.g., handouts or brochures) and use of digital media to achieve lesson plan objectives; 2) instruction principles including basic teaching and classroom management techniques; activity, discussion, and demonstration facilitation; and sensitivity to cultural and developmental issues associated with teaching adolescents; and, 3) recruitment plan development, recruitment strategies for diverse communities (e.g., community engagement, social media) and recruitment materials' preparation (e.g., flyers).Program implementation training instructed interns on: 1) how to prepare a project implementation plan that includes specific items (e.g., purchase supplies, train staff, secure facilities, and preparation of instructional materials), deadlines, and staff roles and assignments; 2) how to monitor the program's implementation progress until its completion; and 3) strategies on how to deal with programmatic problems or challenges to achieve goals and objectives. Program evaluation trainingfocused on methods for determining the effectiveness of a community-based healthy lifestyle intervention named BOUNCE to Health in achieving its objectives. Sessions emphasized: 1) scientific ethics for protecting subject rights and confidentiality; 2) selection of assessment instruments; and, 3) data collection and data entry procedures. We also offered interns experiental learning, mentoring, and career and professional activities. At the begining of year 3 of the study (spring 2020) due to the COVID pandemic we requested to USDA a non-cost one year extension, which was granted. During the spring and summer 2020, we adapted all our recruitment, intern trainings and learning experiential activities to be implemented in a virtual format. Consequently, during the 2020-2022 study years, the recruitment and training for the third cohort of interns occurred virtually in groups of 5 interns in the fall 2020 and a second group of 5 interns spring-summer 2021. During this time Interns also implemented and evaluated a nutrition and physical lifestyle program for Spanish-speaking families virtually. We recruited a total of 10 Hispanic undergraduate students to participate in theEye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators (henceforth referred to asEye to the Future),a paidinternship program for Hispanic students. Most of the interns (70%) were recruited from the University of Houston Main Campus and 30% from the University of Houston-Downtown and Houston Community College Central. These institutions were selected for their large enrollment of Hispanic students. In 2012, the United States Department of Education recognized UH as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In 2016, the 43,774 student-body at UH-Main campus included Hispanic (29%), African American (10%), Asian American (21%), and Caucasian (27%) students. Fifty percent of the 14,265 students currently enrolled in UH-Downtown are of Hispanic descent. Houston Community College is an open-admissions, public institution of higher education offering a high-quality, affordable education,with 35% Hispanic enrollment. HCC and UH campuses have joint admissions agreements to facilitate students' transition from the associate to the bachelor's degree programs. All of the recruited Hispanic students for year 3 and 4 were females. Two interns dropped out yielding an 80% internship completion rate. The interns year 3 and 4 ranged in age from 20 to 27 years, with a mean age of 22.8 years (SD = 2.1). In terms of classification, 20% of the interns were sophomores, 20% was a juniors, 30% were seniors, and 30% were college graduates. Interns reported majoring in nutrition (20%) health-related fields (20%), or Kinesiology (20%), biology (10%), and interdisciplinary fields (20%), and engineering (10%). With respect to birthplace, six of the interns were born in the United States (60%), two were born in Mexico (20%), and two were born in South America (20%). Eight interns (80%) reported being bicultural and two interns (20%) endorsed the non-Hispanic domain. The interns reported that the average number of family members living in their households was 3.4 people (SD = 1.3), ranging from one to five. Finally, 60% of the interns reported that their annual household incomes were $50,000 or less. Changes/Problems:Because of the COVID pandemic, we had major disruptions in the course of the study. Our staff and interns were physical and mentally affected during these challenging times. We are thankful to USDA for granted us a non cost one year extension for 2020. During the COVID epidemic recruitment and retention of Hispanic student was remarkable challenging as many eligible Hispanic students experienced major challenges which hindered their willingness to participate or continue to participate in this study. Some students reported that they or a family member had COVID, family members lost their job and had experienced hunger, were depressed and stressed out due to isolation and inability to see grandparents or other relatives. As a result of the COVID epidemic, we conduct all recruitment effors and didactic trainings and professional development (including mentring) and experiential learning virtually. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and Professional Development (virtually delivered) Resume development workshop- Interns developed a resume and/or curriculum vitae geared towards their field of interest(s). All interns were required to create a resume and they received individual feedback regarding their resumes. Career assessment- Interns took the Strong Interest Inventory and engaged with the Focus 2 online career and education planning system to assess their career interests. Following the career assessments, they received individual feedback regarding results and career guidance from UH career counselors. Professional branding- In large and small groups interns learned about professional communication, networking and personal branding. Interns implemented these skills when they served as recruiters for the Abriendo Caminos Program. Job Interviewing Training - practice interview techniques. Job search support- Interns were provided job search support through the use of UH's Cougar Pathway career management system. All interns received a digital and interactive career workbook manual that corresponded with the career development curriculum and job-search related topics. Mentoring sessions Interns participated in individual and group mentoring sessions with assigned mentor virtually. The aim of these mentoring sessions was to help mentees explore their short- and long-term career/educational goals, monitor mentees progress, and coach them on utilizing career counseling and consultation opportunities available at UH Career services office. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Conference Presentations Ledoux, T., *Alexander, T., Thompson, M., Olmedo, C., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. (2021, October 16-18). Experiential internship to encourage Hispanic students to enter the nutrition and dietetics professions. [Conference poster]. Food and Nutrition Convention and Exposition of the Academy of the Nutrition and Dietetics. https://www.eatrightpro.org/media/press-releases/food-and-nutrition-conference-and-expo *Alexander, T., Ledoux, T., McCarley, K., Thompson, M., Olmedo, C., Arbona, C., & Olvera, N. (2020, July, 20-24). Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators. [Conference poster]. Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference, San Diego, CA, United States. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. For years 3-4 we recruited a total of 10 out of 12 proposed Hispanic undergraduate students to participate in theEye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators (henceforth referred to asEye to the Future), Two interns dropped out due to a family illness and job conflict resulting to a 80% internship completion rate, which met study objective of proposed completion rate. Most of the interns (70%) were recruited from the University of Houston Main Campus and 30% from the University of Houston-Downtown and Houston Community College Central Campus. Objective 2. Interns completed all didactic sessions on how to design, develop, and evaluate community-based health programs and assisted as facilitators, instructors, and evaluators of the Abriendo Caminos six-week nutrition and exercise intervention. In total, the Eye to the Future program offered interns 21 workshops/training sessions. Over the course of the program, each workshop/training session had a high intern attendance rate of 90%. Evaluation results indicated that interns rated 86% of the sessions dedicated to teaching entry-level skills to develop, deliver, and evaluate a healthy lifestyle program as "Extremely Relevant." Similarly, 88% of the workshop/training sessions that provide professional development training for careers in health fields were rated by interns as "Extremely Relevant." Finally, after attending each workshop/training session, interns rated their level of engagement. Overall, the interns reported that 92% of the workshops/training sessions were "Very Engaging." The Eye to the Future Intervention Program showed improvements in entry-level community nutrition and public health knowledge and skills among interns who completed the program. Interns were asked to complete both a pre- and post-test assessment related to nutrition knowledge. Of the eight interns that completed the program, 90% completed both the pre-and post-test assessments. The average percentage of correct responses on the pre-test among the years 3-4 cohort was 56% (SD = 8.8). The average percentage of correct responses on the post-test was 60% (SD = 14.1). The difference in the average percentage of correct responses from the pre- to post-test was four percentage points. In addition, all interns led a minimum of two nutrition education sessions and developed lessons plans and instructional materials. Objective 3. Provide career/professional development training to interns for community nutrition and public health careers. Interns received one-on-one and group mentorship, participated in career development/planning activities (such as resume writing and networking skills) and interfaced with health professionals and employers in health-related industries in seminars and a career fair. As result of these activities, of the ten interns who completed the Eye to the Future internship program, 80% reported career aspirations in community nutrition and public health. Career aspirations included: registered dieticians, health policy, health promotion, and biomedical engineering.
Publications
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Progress 02/15/19 to 02/14/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators (henceforth referred to asEye to the Future) had a productive, inspiring, and dynamic Year 2 (Feb 2019-January 2020). During Year 2, we enrolled a cohort of 12 Hispanic undergraduate students. Recruitment Efforts. We utilized several strategies to recruit 12 Hispanic students for this project during the spring 2019 semester: 1. We posted flyers describing the internship and eligibility requirements in high traffic areas, where students gravitate throughout UH Main Campus (particularly in the honors college, public health, nutrition, and BOUNCE research office); UH-Downtown (Main and Academic building with emphasis on the Health and Behavioral Science program and Sports and Fitness program); and Houston Community College (HHC)- Central College). 2. Printed announcements of the internship were distributed through academic newsletters, student organizations, websites, academic advisors, health program coordinators, and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). 3. We created two website pages to promote the internship at the University of Houston-Main Campus for potential candidates to submit their application along with required documents (https://www.coe.uh.edu/wf/future/checklist.cfmand http://www.uh.edu/education/bounce/job-opps/eye-to-future-5-4-18.pdf) . Intern Selection Process. Due to our recruitment efforts, we received 66 applications. A panel of three independent reviewers carefully rated applications based on four criteria: 1) GPA of 2.5 or higher; 2) junior standing; 3) Hispanic ancestry; and 4) an expressed interest in nutrition, health education, childhood obesity, or a related field. Out of the 66 applications, we selected 16 candidates to participate in a 30-minute structured interview. Out of the 16 applicants interviewed, 12 candidates received and accepted an offer to participate in the Eye to the Future internship in summer and fall 2019. Recruitment Outcomes. Four of the 12 (33%) interns were recruited from the University of Houston (UH)-Downtown. Two of the 12 (17%) interns were recruited from Houston Community College and six (50%) were recruited from UH-Main Campus.We selected these institutions due to their large enrollment of Hispanic students. In 2012, the United States Department of Education recognized UH as a Hispanic Serving Institution. In 2016, the 43,774 student-body at UH-Main campus included Hispanic (29%), African American (10%), Asian American (21%), and Caucasian (27%) students. Fifty percent of the 14,265 students currently enrolled in UH-Downtown are of Hispanic descent. Houston Community College is an open admission, public institution of higher education,with 35% Hispanic enrollment. HCC and UH campuses have joint admissions agreements to facilitate students' transition from the associate to the bachelor's degree programs. Changes/Problems:We made two major changes. We increased the number of weekly sessions from 15 to 20 weeks due to unexpected circumstances that interns experienced such as illness in the family and having unreliable transportation. 2) After getting feedback from Houston Community College academic advisors, we lowered the GPA requirement from 3.0 to 2.5 to increase the number of candidates eligible for this internship. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Recruitment Plan - Interns participation in the development and implementation of the BOUNCE's recruitment plan included the production and distribution of fliers in targeted recruitment sites such as community centers, schools, clinics, health fairs. Interns were also involved in the preparation of news releases to broadcast public announcements on television and social media (e.g., BOUNCE Facebook and website at http://bounce.uh.edu) to promote BOUNCE to Health program. In addition, we developed a video to use for recruitment purposes. Please refer to the following link: https://youtu.be/W5boq4Q_R18 BOUNCE to Health Curriculum - Interns developed and revised the BOUNCE to Health curriculum including lessons plans, handouts and worksheets as well as preparation of instructional materials such as a plant diary worksheet, create your own restaurant activity and gardening guides. Didactic Seminars Overview of BOUNCE Programs- Interns received information on the BOUNCE program overall and all the programs involved (e.g. Lace Up and Move, Nutrition Ambassador Program, Abriendo Caminos). Program Development- Interns received instruction on how to develop a curriculum on nutrition lessons on fat and sugar reduction and lead exercise sessions focusing on cardio, sport skill building, and recreational games designed for Hispanic and African American children and adolescents and parents. Nutrition Competencies and Food Safety- Interns participated in learning basic nutrition education constructs and competencies. Interns also received training sessions on how to prepare, cook, handle and store diverse types of food (e.g., proper cooking temperature of foods, use of gloves while handling food, proper utensils and hands washing techniques) following current industry guidelines. Culinary Techniques- Interns practiced culinary techniques to prepare food and conduct interactive cooking demonstrations of healthy meals and snacks for the Hispanic and African American children and their parents participating in the BOUNCE to Health intervention. Teaching Techniques- Interns received instruction in basic teaching techniques (age appropriate) to provide health education to Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14 years old). Classroom Management- Interns received training in classroom management strategies and received feedback after observational assessment of their interactions with Hispanic and African American youth participating in the BOUNCE to Health: Healthy Lifestyle Intervention. Cultural Competence- Interns received training regarding the importance of learning about BOUNCE participants' characteristics in designing and implementing BOUNCE to Health intervention. Participants' characteristics include educational attainment, language preferences, views of child development, values (related to family interaction, familyism, respect) and preferences regarding greeting, food and exercise practices. CPR/First Aid Certificate- Interns learned how to recognize medical emergencies and the proper use of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid techniques. At the end of the training, which included hands-on practice of CPR in adults and children mannequins, interns received an American Red Cross, 2-year CPR/First Aid certificate. Texas Child Protection Certificate- Consistent with Texas state policies, interns received training regarding strategies for recognizing, preventing and reporting child abuse and neglect provided by the University of Houston System. Interns received a 2-year Texas Child Protection Certificate. Collaborative Institutional Training Initiatives (CITI) Certificate - CITI training covers training on research ethics and protocols for conducting research. The CITI training can be accessed at https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=14. Certification is valid for two years. Data/Clinical Assessment - Interns learned how to perform data collection on participants in the summer program for pre and post data (e.g. height, weight, waist measurements, blood pressure). Assessment Data Collection and Entry Procedures and Practice- Interns received in-person training regarding assessments (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure, percent body fat, nutrition, physical activity and psychological surveys). In addition, interns received training for obtaining informed consent/assent, maintaining confidentiality, and collecting and entering data. Database Development- Selected interns received training in database development and use of statistical software to analyze data. Mentoring Sessions- Interns participated in individual and group mentoring sessions with assigned faculty mentor. (Drs. Olvera, Arbona, and Ledoux). Interns also attended seminars with experts in the health industry. Experiential Learning Activities BOUNCE to Health- Interns engaged in four weeks (July 8 - Aug 2, 2019, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., M-F) of experiential learning activities during the implementation and evaluation of the BOUNCE to Health intervention. Specifically interns provided some nutrition education sessions to promote healthy and mindful eating in minority youth and their parents. Also, interns led some behavior psychoeducational sessions to promote positive body image and self-esteem and exercise sessions to increase daily minutes of physical activity in Hispanic and African American boys and girls and their parents. Nutrition Ambassador Program - In addition to the BOUNCE to Health intervention conducted during the summer 2019, Eye to the Future interns provided nutrition education in the Hispanic community as part of the BOUNCE Nutrition Ambassador Program (August-September 2019). Specifically, interns provided nutrition education at five different community sites including community centers, health fairs, churches, schools, and parks. Based on input from Year 1 interns, the career/professional development training provided by the University of Houston Career Services office under Director Ms. Monica Thompson's direction focused on four areas: Career Assessment- Interns took the Strong Interest Inventory and the Focus 2 online career and education planning system to assess their career interests, career preparedness, personality, values, and skills. Following the career assessments, the results were interpreted and individual feedback and career guidance was provided by UH career counselors to each of the interns. Resume Development Workshop- Interns were instructed on how to format their resumes and/or curriculum vitae with regards to content, style, action words, and quantifying the impact of their accomplishments. Interns developed a resume and/or curriculum vitae geared towards their field of interest(s). All interns were given the opportunity of receiving individual feedback regarding their resumes. Professional Branding- In large and small groups, interns learned about professional communication, networking and personal branding. Interns implemented these skills when they served as recruiters for the BOUNCE Program during a career fair at UH Main campus. As BOUNCE Program recruiters, they interviewed applicants and answered their questions regarding the program. Job Search Support- Interns were provided job search support by utilizing UH's Cougar Pathway career management system. Interns also become familiar with ONET as a labor market research tool to examine different occupations/industries and job titles. Career Workbook- Interns received an interactive career workbook manual that corresponded with the career development curriculum and job-search related topics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination of this project's results started after the Eye to the Future interns completed their internship and post-internship assessments in October-November 2019. We disseminated Eye to the Future preliminary results among our institutional partners, Ms. Rhonda Scherer, University of Houston-Downtown and Mr. James Mable, Houston Community College, who were instrumental in the recruitment of candidates for the Eye to the Future internship program during this second year of this project. We also reached out to members of other communities who might not usually be aware of this type of an internship. Specifically, we presented the Eye to the Future internship program results to the board of directors of the Hispanic Health Coalition, primarily composed of health professionals in the fields of health policy and advocacy, nursing, health administration, fundraising, and health education who can promote this internship opportunity among its members. As stated in the presentation section of this application, a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics received first Place Innovator Award. Intern Promotion. To highlight interns' profiles, we developed a media page https://uh.edu/education/bounce/job-opps/. We were also able to feature Eye to the Future Intern via a media story: https://cloudapps.uh.edu/sendit/w/etf5sk0wfSIp0UwOKTyvbg/YnMQUW1VLUcjNrID5m0zPA/GPQoeUkidTlE1UNJIzvhHQ What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to conduct the following major activities to accomplish the goals for the next year of this project: January-March 2020 Recruitment Conduct recruitment efforts to enroll 13-14 Hispanic students in the Eye to the Future internship program for summer 2020. We are recruiting 13-14 Hispanic students instead of 12 to make up for interns who might drop out from this internship. Revise recruitment plan and materials (e.g., flyer, script, and website) to reflect date changes of internship-related activities. Post flyer and application on the BOUNCE website. Elicit support of UH-Downtown, Houston Community College, and UH-main campus advisors, faculty, and students to promote the Eye to the Future internship program among their students interested in health fields. Dissemination of Eye to the Future Results Prepare abstracts to be submitted to national conferences such as Food and Nutrition Convention and Expo (FNCE) and the annual conference of the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Revision of Eye to the Future Curriculum and Assessments Based on interns' feedback, we plan to increase the time spent in the Eye to the Future mentoring and career/professional development activities. Administration Purchase of instructional supplies and career worksheet manual and messenger bags. Preparation of the internship binder with internship orientation and training/workshop materials. March -April 2020 Eye to the Future Intern Interview and Selection Review and rating of Eye to the Future applications. Conduct interviews with selected Eye to the Future candidates Select 13-14 candidates for the 2020 Eye to the Future internship program. May-June 2020 Didactic Seminars Collect pre-internship data (demographic information, acculturation, career readiness, nutrition and programmatic knowledge) Conduct orientation for Eye to the Future interns Begin series of training and workshops for Eye to the Future interns Collect engagement and outcome data for each training activity Conduct mentor matches Introduce Eye to the Future interns to the University of Houston Career Services director and personnel for individual consultation and group workshops July-Aug, 2020 Continue Didactic Seminar and Begin Learning Experiential Activities Interns will participate in a didactic and experiential learning program and mentoring related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of the BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention. During this time, interns will engage in four weeks of experiential learning activities in the BOUNCE intervention. Interns will assist in the recruitment efforts, curriculum development, intervention implementation, and program evaluation. Mentoring and Career/Professional Development Interns will work with their UH faculty mentors, who will help them to identify their career and educational goals and monitor students' progress in reaching them. Interns will start their career/professional development training. Assessments and Data Management Post-assessment of the internship program nutrition and programmatic learning outcomes will be conducted. Mid-term observational ratings will be conducted (nutrition class teaching skills, professional qualities) September-December 2020 Mentoring and Career/Professional Development Interns will receive 6 weeks of mentoring and career/professional development training concluding with their participation in a career fair. Assessments and Data Management Post-assessment of the internship program is conducted (observational ratings and self-report surveys of career readiness, anonymous feedback related to the entire internship program) Data entry continues. Preparation of annual report begins. Renew IRB application January-February 2021 Prepare final report
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented among the nation's public health and healthcare professionals and trainees. Traditionally, minority groups have relatively high rates of obesity and its related chronic illnesses. Thus, minority public health and community health professionals are greatly needed to reduce health disparities and improve the economic conditions of underserved populations. Furthermore, Hispanic first time in college students with interest in health professions lack opportunity to gain experience in the field. To address these challenges, the objectives of the project are: Objective 1: Recruit, retain, and engage Hispanic students into the Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators Internship Program. To achieve objective 1, we recruited and enrolled 12 Hispanic students. One intern dropped out following her accepted offer due to a family hardship yielding a 92% internship completion rate. The interns who completed the program ranged in age from 19 to 29 years, with a mean age of 22.5 years (SD = 3.4). Six of the interns reported attending the University of Houston-Main Campus (50%), four interns attended the University of Houston's Downtown Campus (33%), and two attended Houston Community College (17%). In terms of classification, two of the interns were sophomores (15%), two were juniors (18%), five were seniors (45%), one (9%) was a college graduate, and one did not respond to the question (9%). One intern reported majoring in biology (9%), five in a health-related field (45%), three in nutrition (27%), one in interdisciplinary studies (9%), and one did not respond to the question (9%). With respect to birthplace, ten of the interns were born in the United States (91%) and one was born in Venezuela (9%). Of the ten interns born in the United States, eight reported being second generation United States citizens (80%), one reported being a third generation United States citizen (10%), and one reported being a fourth generation (or higher) United States citizen (10%). Eight of the 11 interns were bicultural (73%), two reported a non-Hispanic cultural orientation (18%), and one did not complete the acculturation measure (9%). The interns reported that the average number of family members living in their households was 3.6 people (SD = 1.8), ranging from zero to five. Furthermore, 36% of the interns reported that their household incomes were $50,000 or less. Objective 2: Provide a 15-week internship for Hispanic students aimed at teaching entry level skills for developing, delivering, and evaluating a healthy lifestyle program (i.e., BOUNCE). Due to personal (e.g., limited availability) and inclement weather (e.g., flooding) factors, interns completed internship program for 20 weeks instead 15 weeks. During the internship program, interns completed 25 didactic sessions on how to design, develop, and evaluate community-based health programs and assisted as facilitators, instructors, and evaluators of the BOUNCE to Health intervention. Over the course of the program, each didactic session had an average of 8.0 of the 11 interns in attendance. Evaluation results indicated that interns rated 78% of the sessions as "Extremely Relevant" to teaching entry-level skills to develop, deliver, and evaluate a healthy lifestyle program. Similarly, 74% of the workshop/training sessions were rated as "Extremely Relevant" professional development training for careers in health fileds. Finally, after attending each workshop/training session, interns rated their level of engagement with each session. Overall, the interns reported that 81% of the workshops/training sessions were "Very Engaging." Outcomes Community Nutrition and Public Health Knowledge and Skills. The Eye to the Future internship program showed improvements in entry-level community nutrition and public health knowledge and skills among interns who completed the program. Of the 11 interns who completed the program, 91% completed both the pre-and post-test assessments. Out of 72 questions, the average number of correct responses on the pre-test was 37.6 (SD = 7.5), or approximately 52% correct. The average number of correct responses on the post-test was 44.4 (SD = 6.9), or approximately 62% correct. The difference in the average number of correct responses from the pre- to post-test was seven items, or ten percentage points. Furthermore, interns led a minimum of two nutrition education sessions and developed lessons plans and instructional materials. During the observed nutrition education sessions, 100% of the interns used at least three modalities to teach these lessons to participating youth: food samples and models, short videos, hands on experience. An observational evaluator rated 92% of the interns as effective health educators in terms of clarity of the content and student engagement during the sessions. Interns also led cooking demonstrations and conducted pre- and post- assessments to evaluate the impact of the BOUNCE intervention. Intern Testimonials. "It was an amazing experience. I am very thankful for such a great opportunity. "I liked how engaged the children and parents were in the BOUNCE program. I enjoyed the fact that the interns had a lot of responsibility in making the program what it is now -- whether it be through data, recruitment, or lesson plans." Objective 3. Provide career/professional development training to interns for community nutrition and public health careers. Students received one-on-one and group mentorship, participated in career development/planning activities (such as resume writing and networking skills) and interfaced with health professionals and employers in health-related industries in seminars and a career fair. As result of these activities, of the 11 interns who completed the Eye to the Future internship program, 90% reported career aspirations in community nutrition and public health. Career aspirations included emergency medicine providers, social workers, nurse practitioners, nutrition educator, registered dieticians, and physical therapists. Additionally, of the nine interns who participated in the exit interview, 100% reported plans to attend graduate school in the next two to three years in order to achieve their career aspirations. Post-Internship Academic/Career Pursuits: Eight interns are continuing their undergraduate studies. Three interns accepted offers to attend graduate school. Ms. Natalia Chacon was accepted into the Master's Public Health Program at the University of Texas Public Health. She is also applying to a dietetic internship through University of Texas Health Science Center. Chacon hopes to graduate with her masters in 2022. Ms. Melissa Blanco accepted an offer to attend the graduate program of the Texas Woman's University Graduate Program for Health Care Administration. Ms. Vanessa Cias graduated with a bachelor degree in Public Health from the University of Houston-Main Campus in fall 2019. Intern Testimonials. In the words of one of the interns: "The BOUNCE program has given me a lot of work experience in the development and delivery of health programs in the community. Overall, this program gave me an opportunity to develop my skills and to explore the possibilities of health professional careers for the future."
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
1. *Ledoux, T. A., Esat, G., McCarley, K., Arbona, C., Thompson, M., & Olvera, N. (2019, October). Eye to the Future: Developing the next generation of nutrition professionals. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Philadelphia, PA.
* First Place Innovator Award in Nutrition Dietetics Practice and Education from the eleventh annual Food and Nutrition Conference Expo.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
2. Martinez, N., Li, N., Velazquez, D., Reyes, Y., Saldana, S., & Olvera, N. (2019, October). Lace up and Move: A mindful wellness intervention for Latino and African American youth. Poster presented at the 2019 Texas Society of Public Health Education Conference, Houston, Texas.
Underline indicates Eye to the Future interns
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Progress 02/15/18 to 02/14/19
Outputs
Target Audience:In year 1, we recruited and enrolled 12 Hispanic undergraduate students to participate in theEye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators (henceforth referred to asEye to the Future),a paidinternship program for Hispanic students. This internship program aimed at: (1) increasing awareness of, preparation for, and entry into community nutrition and public health careers; and (2) enhancing students' career/professional planning and preparation.During the summer and fall 2018 semesters, interns participated in 15 weekly sessions that included: 1) an orientation to the internship program, 2) didactic and experiential learning activities related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based health programs promoting healthy eating and exercise; and, 3) career/professional development workshops and career fairs. Briefly described, during orientation interns: a) received information about the overall goal and objectives of the internship, b) met the BOUNCE coordinator c) participated in a tour of the facilities d) received a binder with a syllabus of the training program that included a schedule of project activities, trainings, and mentoring sessions along with deadlines to complete assignments and assessments. The didactic seminars covered the following three major topics: health programs design, implementation and evaluation. Program design focused on: 1) curriculum development principles (e.g., preparing lesson plans with specific learning objectives, and planning activities), tips for developing educational print material (e.g., handouts or brochures) and use of digital media to achieve lesson plan objectives; 2) instruction principles including basic teaching and classroom management techniques; activity, discussion, and demonstration facilitation; and sensitivity to cultural and developmental issues associated with teaching adolescents; and, 3) recruitment plan development, recruitment strategies for diverse communities (e.g., community engagement, social media) and recruitment materials' preparation (e.g., flyers).Program implementation training instructed interns on: 1) how to prepare a project implementation plan that includes specific items (e.g., purchase supplies, train staff, secure facilities, and preparation of instructional materials), deadlines, and staff roles and assignments; 2) how to monitor the program's implementation progress until its completion; and 3) strategies on how to deal with programmatic problems or challenges to achieve goals and objectives. Program evaluation trainingfocused on methods for determining the effectiveness of a community-based healthy lifestyle intervention named BOUNCE to Health in achieving its objectives. Sessions emphasized: 1) scientific ethics for protecting subject rights and confidentiality; 2) selection of assessment instruments; and, 3) data collection and data entry procedures. Experiential Learning and Career/Professional Development Activities- During the 4-week BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention, interns assisted in the delivery of experiential learning activities, which included nutrition education, exercise, and behavioral psychoeducational family-based interventions to reduce obesity in Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14 years) who are overweight. During the BOUNCE implementation, as a group, interns: 1) facilitated 12 BOUNCE nutrition sessionsand cooking demonstrations; 2) learned the BOUNCE curriculum; 3) led group activities and worked with subgroups of children and their parents to help them achieve their nutrition goals: and 4) participated in several personal career preparation and professional development activities described in the products section. Recruitment. Seven of the 12 (58%) interns were recruited from the University of Houston (UH)-Downtown and Houston Community College and five (42%) were recruited from UH-Main Campus. These institutions were selected for their large enrollment of Hispanic students. In 2012, the United States Department of Education recognized UH as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In 2016, the 43,774 student-body at UH-Main campus included Hispanic (29%), African American (10%), Asian American (21%), and Caucasian (27%) students. Fifty percent of the 14,265 students currently enrolled in UH-Downtown are of Hispanic descent. Houston Community College is an open-admissions, public institution of higher education offering a high-quality, affordable education,with 35% Hispanic enrollment. HCC and UH campuses have joint admissions agreements to facilitate students' transition from the associate to the bachelor's degree programs. Several strategies were utilized to recruit Hispanic students for this project: 1) we posted printed flyers describing the internship and eligibility requirements in high traffic areas, where students gravitate throughout UH Main Campus (particularly in the honors college, public health, nutrition, and BOUNCE research office); UH-Downtown (Main and Academic building with emphasis on the Health and Behavioral Science program and Sports and Fitness program); and HCC (Central College); and 2) printed announcements of the internship were distributed through academic newsletters, student organizations, websites, academic advisors, health program coordinators, and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and twitter) at the UH Main Campus, UHD, and HCC Central Campus. We created two website pages to promote the internship and for potential candidates to submit their application along with required documents (https://www.coe.uh.edu/wf/future/checklist.cfmand http://www.uh.edu/education/bounce/job-opps/eye-to-future-5-4-18.pdf) .As a result of these recruitment efforts, within a month, we had 25 applications. A panel of three independent reviewers carefully rated applications based on four criteria: 1) GPA of 3.0 or higher; 2) junior standing; 3) Hispanic ancestry; and 4) an expressed interest in nutrition, health education, childhood obesity, or a related field. Applicants meeting minimum requirements were invited to a 30-minute structured interview. Out of the 25 applicants, 12 candidates received and accepted an offer to participate in the Eye to the Future internship in summer 2018. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Opportunities Food Safety Training - interns participated in training sessions on how to prepare, cook, handle and store diverse types of food (e.g., proper cooking temperature of foods, use of gloves while handling food, proper utensils and hands washing techniques) following current industry guidelines. Culinary Training - Interns practiced culinary techniques learned during the BOUNCE culinry training to prepare food and conduct interactive cooking demonstrations of healthy meals and snacks for the 40 Hispanic and African American children and their parents participating in BOUNCE. Curriculum Development Training- Interns participated in a curriculum development training to prepare nutrition lessons on fat and sugar reduction and lead exercise sessions focusing on cardio, sport skill building, and recreational games designed for Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14). Teaching Techniques Training- Interns received instruction in basic teaching techniques to provide health education to Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14 years old). Classroom Management Training - Interns received training in classroom management strategies and received feedback after observational assessment of their interactions with Hispanic and African American youth participating in the BOUNCE to Health: Healthy Lifestyle Intervention. Graphic Design Workshop -Provided tips and website resources to design graphically appealing, age-appropriate health handouts/brochures for Hispanic and African American youth (ages 9-14) Cultural Competence Training - During the internship training, interns learned about cultural characterists of typical BOUNCE participants, including values, educational attainment, language preferences, views of being raised in two cultures, traditions related to family interaction, familism, respect, and preferences regarding greeting, food and exercise practices. Motivational Interviewing Training - Interns learned the background and therole of motivational interviewing in goal setting and participated in practice sessions to develop skills to conducting motivational interviewing using OARS (Open-ended questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summarize)and received constructive feedback for improvement. CPR/First Aid Training - Interns learned how to recognize medical emergencies and the proper use of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid techniques. At the end of the training, which included hands-on practice of CPR in adults and children mannequins, interns received an American Red Cross, 2-year CPR/First Aid certificate. Child Protection Training -Consistent with Texas state policies, interns received training regarding strategies for recognizing, preventing and reporting child abuse and neglect provided by the University of Houston System. Interns received a 2-years Texas Child Protection Certificate. CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiatives) Training - CITI training covers training on research ethics and protocols for conducting research. The CITI training can be accessed at https://www.citiprogram.org/index.cfm?pageID=14. Certification is valid for two years Assessment Data Collection Procedures Training and Practice -Interns received in-person training regarding assessments (e.g., height, weight, blood pressure, percent body fat, nutrition, physical activity and psychological surveys). In addition, interns received training for obtaining informed consent/assent, maintaining confidentiality, collecting and managing data. Database Development and Data Entry Training-selected interns received training in database development, data entry, and use of statistical software to analyze data. Didactic and experiential learning program and mentoring related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of a healthy lifestyle intervention. BOUNCE Program Curriculum - BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle Intervention overview, review of program operations and procedures (e.g., schedule of activities, implementation plan, equipment and educational material preparations), review of deadlines and intern roles and expectations, development of time management and organizational skills Engagement in four weeks (July 9 - Aug 3, 2018, 9 AM-3 PM, M-F) of experiential learning activities in the BOUNCE Healthy Lifestyle intervention that included 20- one-hour nutrition sessions to promote healthy and mindful eating, 20 one-hour behavior psychoeducational sessions to promote positive body image and self-esteem and 60 one-hour exercise sessions to increase daily minutes of physical activity in Hispanic and African American boys and girls with obesity. Recruitment Plan - Interns participation in the development and implementation of the BOUNCE's recruitment plan included the distribution of fliers in targeted community centers, schools, clinics, health fairs, broadcasting public announcements on television and radio and disseminating information via social media (e.g., Facebook and BOUNCE website at http://bounce.uh.edu) to promote the BOUNCE program. Flyers to recruit Hispanic and African American families with an overweight child (ages 9-14 years). Career/Professional Development Resume Development - Interns attended a session on resume development and they developed a resume geared towards their field of interest(s). All interns created a resume and received feedback individually regarding their resumes. Career Exploration Assessment- Interns took the Strong Interest Inventory and engaged with the Focus 2 online career and education planning system to assess their career interests. Following the career assessments, they received individual feedback regarding results and career guidance from UH career counselors. Professional Branding- In groups interns learned about professional communication, networking and personal branding. Interns implemented these skills when they promoted the BOUNCE Program during the career fair that took place in UH Main campus. Job Search Support- Interns were provided job search support through the use of UH's Cougar Pathway career management system. Career Workbook- Interns received an interactive career workbook manual that corresponded with the career development curriculum and job-search related topics. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Dissemination of this project's results started after the Eye to the Future interns completed their internship and post-internship assessments in October-November 2018. In December 2018, a poster describing the preliminary results of the Eye to the Future internship was presented to the University of Houston-Main Campus Academic community at a conference sponsored by the University of Houston,Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute. Additionally, at this meeting, an Eye to the Future intern presented a paper describing her experiential learning activity completed during the BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention and the intervention's impact on adiposity and physical activity among Hispanic and African American youth. Her presentation was one of three award winning presentations. The conference was attended by administrators of the newly funded University of Houston Medical School, academic advisors, health professions faculty, students (e.g., nutrition, pharmacy, nursing, health, exercise, and medical school) and representatives of Humana insurance. We disseminated Eye to the Future preliminary results among our institutional partners, Ms. Rhonda Scherer, University of Houston-Downtown and Ms. Brenda Rios, Houston Community College, who were instrumental in the recruitment of candidates for the Eye to the Future internship program during this first year of this project. We also reached out to members of other communities who might not usually be aware of this type of an internship. Specifically, we presented the Eye to the Future internship program results to the board of directors of the Hispanic Health Coalition, primarily composed of health professionals in the fields of health policy and advocacy, nursing, health administration, fundraising, and health education who can promote this internship opportunity among its members. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? We plan to conduct the following major activities to accomplish the goals for Year 2 of this project: January-March 2019 Recruitment Conduct recruitment efforts to enroll 13-14 Hispanic students in the Eye to the Future internship program for summer 2019. We are recruiting 13-14 Hispanic students instead of 12 to make up for interns who might drop out from this internship. Revise recruitment plan and materials (e.g., flyer, script, and website) to reflect date changes of internship-related activities. Post flyer and application on the BOUNCE website. Elicit support of UH-Downtown, Houston Community College, and UH-main campus advisors, faculty, and students to promote the Eye to the Future internship program among their students interested in health fields. Prepare a 2-minute video of interviews with the first-year interns. Dissemination of Eye to the Future Results Prepare abstract to be submitted to regional and national conferences such as Food and Nutrition Convention and Expo (FNCE), which is the annual conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The conference is in Philadelphia, PA this year October 19-21, 2019. Revision of Eye to the Future Curriculum and Assessments Based on interns' feedback, we plan to increase the time spent in the Eye to the Future mentoring and career/professional development activities. Revise nutrition and programmatic knowledge assessment. Administration Hire and train staff. Purchase of instructional supplies and career worksheet manual. Preparation of the internship binder with internship orientation and training/workshop materials. April 2019 Eye to the Future Intern Interview and Selection Review and rating of Eye to the Future applications. Conduct interviews with selected Eye to the Future candidates Select 13-14 candidates for the 2019 Eye to the Future internship program. May-June 2019 Training and Workshop Collect pre-internship data (demographic information, acculturation, career readiness, nutrition and programmatic knowledge) Conduct orientation for Eye to the Future interns Begin series of training and workshops for Eye to the Future interns Collect engagement and outcome data for each training activity Conduct mentor matches Introduce Eye to the Future interns to the University of Houston Career Services director and personnel for individual consultation and group workshops July-Aug 9, 2019 Didactic and Learning Experiential Activities Interns will participate in a didactic and experiential learning program and mentoring related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of the BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention. During this time, interns will engage in four weeks of experiential learning activities in the BOUNCE intervention. Interns will assist in the recruitment efforts, curriculum development, intervention implementation, and program evaluation. Mentoring and Career/Professional Development Interns will work with their UH faculty mentors, who will help them to identify their career and educational goals and monitor students' progress in reaching them. Interns will start their career/professional development training. Assessments and Data Management Post-assessment of the internship program nutrition and programmatic learning outcomes will be conducted. Mid-term observational ratings will be conducted (nutrition class teaching skills, professional qualities) September-November 2019 Mentoring and Career/Professional Development Interns will receive 6 weeks of mentoring and career/professional development training concluding with their participation in a career fair. Assessments and Data Management Post-assessment of the internship program is conducted (observational ratings and self-report surveys of career readiness, anonymous feedback related to the entire internship program) Data entry continues. Preparation of annual report begins. IRB Renew IRB application. Note: The timeframe for interns to participate in year two Eye to the Future internship program will be the same as it was in year one. However, we are increasing the internship hours from 230 to 290 to provide interns with an opportunity to work closely with the mentors on a project of their choice (e.g. research, community outreach, school-based intervention, etc.).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Hispanics and African Americans are significantly underrepresented among the nation's public health and healthcare professionals and trainees. Therefore, increasing the ethnic diversity in health-care workforce has become a priority. A case in point, an increased prevalence of childhood obesity in the Hispanic population has resulted in a critical need for well-trained nutrition and health educators serving this population. Consistent with the USDA's Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health priority area, the focus of this project is to increase recruitment and retention of undergraduate students into educational and experiential learning programs that promote proper nutrition and physical activity. This year the goals of this project are to: (1) launch Eye to the Future, a paid 15-week internship program for 12 Hispanic students aimed at increasing awareness of, preparation for, and entry into community nutrition and public health careers; and (2) enhance students' career/professional planning and preparation. Interns engaged in training and workshops and experiential learning activities related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based health programs promoting healthy eating and exercise. The award-winning four-week BOUNCE (Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition Counseling and Exercise) to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle intervention served as the platform for the program's experiential learning activities. Through the Eye to the Future internship program, Hispanic interns received skills building training, experiential learning opportunities, mentoring, career/professional development, and exposure to health professionals in the field of obesity prevention and treatment to better prepare them for the nutrition and health workforce. Twelve Hispanic students were enrolled in the program in summer 2018. Two interns discontinued the program yielding an 83% internship completion rate. Of the 10 students who completed the Eye to the Future internship, 76% reported that their training workshops, and experiential learning experiences were extremely relevant and 78% reported that their career/professional development training was extremely relevant. Overall, 82% of the interns reported that the workshops/training sessions were very engaging. At the end of the program, interns reported increased-level of community nutrition and public health programming knowledge and skills, and career readiness. Objective 1: Recruit, retain, and engage Hispanic students into the Eye to the Future: Developing the Next Generation of Childhood Obesity Prevention Educators Internship Program. To achieve objective 1, 12 Hispanic students (10 women; 2 men) were enrolled in year 1. Two interns dropped out yielding an 83% internship completion rate. The interns who completed the program ranged in age from 19 to 43 years, with a mean age of 23.9 years (SD = 6.9). Five of the interns reported attending the University of Houston's Main Campus (50%), four interns attended the University of Houston's Downtown Campus (40%), and the remaining intern attended Houston Community College (10%). In terms of classification, five (50%) of the interns were seniors, two (20%) were juniors, two (20%) were college graduates, and one (10%) was a sophomore. Three interns reported majoring in biology (30%), three in a health-related field (30%), two in nutrition (20%), one in education (10%), and one in kinesiology (10%). With respect to birthplace, eight of the interns were born in the United States (80%) and the remaining two were born in Central or South America. Of the eight interns born in the United States, seven reported being second generation United States citizens (88%) and one reported being a third generation United States citizen (13%). All the interns were bicultural. The interns reported that the average number of family members living in their households was 3.3 people (SD = 1.4), ranging from zero to five. Furthermore, 60% of the interns reported that their household incomes were $40,000 or less. Objective 2: Provide a 15-week internship for Hispanic students aimed at teaching entry level skills for developing, delivering, and evaluating a healthy lifestyle program (i.e., BOUNCE). Interns completed didactic sessions on how to design, develop, and evaluate community-based health programs and assisted as facilitators, instructors, and evaluators of the BOUNCE to Health intervention. In total, the Eye to the Future program offered interns 21 workshops/training sessions. Over the course of the program, each workshop/training session had an average of 7.7 of the ten interns in attendance. Evaluation results indicated that interns rated 76% of the sessions dedicated to teaching entry-level skills to develop, deliver, and evaluate a healthy lifestyle program as "Extremely Relevant." Similarly, 78% of the workshop/training sessions that provide professional development training for careers in health fileds were rated by interns as "Extremely Relevant." Finally, after attending each workshop/training session, interns rated their level of engagement. Overall, the interns reported that 82% of the workshops/training sessions were "Very Engaging." The Eye to the Future Intervention Program showed improvements in entry-level community nutrition and public health knowledge and skills among interns who completed the program. Interns were asked to complete both a pre- and post-test assessment related to nutrition knowledge. Of the ten interns that completed the program, 90% completed both the pre-and post-test assessments. The average percentage of correct responses on the pre-test was 58% (SD = 10.7). The average percentage of correct responses on the post-test was 69% (SD = 14.1). The difference in the average percentage of correct responses from the pre- to post-test was 11 percentage points. In addition, all interns led a minimum of two nutrition education sessions and developed lessons plans and instructional materials. Interns also led cooking demonstrations and conducted pre- and post- assessments to evaluate the impact of the BOUNCE intervention. During the observed nutrition education sessions, 91% of the interns used diverse modalities to teach these lessons: food samples and models, short videos, hands on experience. An observational evaluator rated 82% of the interns as effective health educators during the sessions. Samples of interns' testimonials are: "It was an amazing experience. I am very thankful for such a great opportunity. "I liked how engaged we were in the BOUNCE program. I enjoyed the fact that the interns had a lot of responsibility in making the program what it is now -- whether it be through data, recruitment, or lesson plans." Objective 3. Provide career/professional development training to interns for community nutrition and public health careers. Students received one-on-one and group mentorship, participated in career development/planning activities (such as resume writing and networking skills) and interfaced with health professionals and employers in health-related industries in seminars and a career fair. As result of these activities, of the ten interns who completed the Eye to the Future internship program, 90% reported career aspirations in community nutrition and public health. Career aspirations included: emergency medicine providers, social workers, nurse practitioners, registered dieticians, and physical therapists. Additionally, 70% of the interns reported plans to attend graduate school in the next two years in order to achieve their career aspirations. In the words of one of the interns: "The BOUNCE program has definitely given me a lot of work experience in the development, delivery of health programs in the community. Overall, this program gave me an opportunity to develop my skills and to explore the possibilities of health professional careers for the future."
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
*Henao, N., Martinez, N., Posada, L., & Olvera, N. (2018, December). BOUNCE to Health: A Healthy Lifestyle Summer Intervention for Latino and African American Early Adolescents. Paper presented at the meeting of the University of Houston, Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas.
"Winner one out of three paper presentations
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Esat, G., Yanez, J., & Olvera, N. (2018, December). Eye to the Future: Developing the next generation of childhood obesity prevention professionals. Poster presented at the meeting of the University of Houston, Humana Integrated Health System Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas.
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