Nutrition Education via Television

Problem:
According to the 1995 Iowa Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) , only 15 percent of adults eat the minimum  recommendation of three vegetables and two fruits each day (the national average is 23 percent).  Furthermore, Iowa is a state with a high rate of obesity and individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle.
 
Response:
Extension in Eastern Iowa has a great working relationship with the television media. By working with the television stations, Extension is able to reach large numbers of Iowans with Nutrition Education information. During the 2005 calendar year, two major announcements have come forth in the world of nutrition - the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and the Dietary Reference system - MyPyramid.gov.  Although these have received national attention, the stations are always anxious to have the story more local. Both times they turned to Iowa State University Extension.

Dietary Guidelines: The station allotted four - 3 minute segments during their early morning news program to the topic. Jan was able to share major changes in the new guidelines such as how many cups of fruits and vegetables would be needed each day and how easy it could be to include them in the diet. She also shared the continued focus on exercise for all ages.

MyPyramid.gov:The very day the revised pyramid was released, the station contacted Jan to do something visual for their 5 PM news show. She was able to once again share how simple it will be to comply with the new pyramid and how easy it will be to have your own personal pyramid.

Impact:
The number of viewers for the early morning and 5 PM news on KCRG-TV 9 is in the 50,000 or more range for each show. Were people listening? Not only have individuals responded to me that they were surprised by how little it takes to meet their produce requirement each day, but EFNEP program families were also listening. Several of the EFNEP PA's in Linn and Johnson County commented that their families had been watching. The families knew their EFNEP staff person was part of the same Extension Service. They listened to their PA even more intently as a result.

Contact:
Jan Temple, Nutrition and Health Field Specialist
Johnson County Extension
4265 Oak Crest Hill Road SE, Iowa City, IA 52246
Phone 319-337-2145; FAX 319-337-7864
Email mjtemple@iastate/edu