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Program Updates |
Nutrition Resource Centre
This Nutrition Resource Centre (NRC) update focuses on the four projects of NRC: Eat Smart!, Colour it Up, Community Food Advisors, and NutriSTEP™.
Eat Smart!
- The Annual Summary Report 2006 is available on the Eat Smart! website
- Look for a new and improved Eat Smart! website in January 2008.
- The nutrition standard for the Eat Smart! Workplace and School Cafeteria Programs is currently under revision. This new standard will be pilot tested this winter.
- The Eat Smart! program is expanding into recreation centres as part of the Government of Ontario’s Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Action Plan.
- Ottawa Public Health has been working with the NRC on the development of a nutrition standard for the recreation centre program which will include criteria for foods and beverages sold in snack bars and in vending machines.
- An Eat Smart! Recreation Centre Advisory Working group, comprised of 12 members, has been formed to advise NRC on the final development of program’s nutrition standard, a "How-to" manual and website information, and promotional materials.
- Seven health units have been recruited to pilot test the recreation centre program: Peel Health, Windsor-Essex, Durham Region, Simcoe Muskoka, Haldimand-Norfolk, Eastern Ontario and Ottawa.
A provincial roll-out of the new component of Eat Smart! is planned for fall 2008.
The overall vision for the Eat Smart! program is to incorporate the nutrition standard developed for recreation centre vending machines and snack bars into the school and workplace programs. This will allow the program to be more comprehensive where a variety of food services may be offered.
Colour It Up…Go for More Vegetables and Fruit
This community-based, behaviour change program is designed to promote increased vegetable and fruit consumption to women and their families. Colour it Up is the "Take 5" program renamed.
- An updated leader's manual (in English) is being developed
- A Colour It Up website is under construction as is a French version of the website.
- A Provincial Advisory Workgroup was created for the program in early 2007 and the Colour It Up facilitator's Discussion Board is underway.
Community Food Advisor (CFA) Program
- CFA programming is active in 17 sites across Ontario. In 2006 there were just over 300 volunteers who provided health promotion activities to over 40,000 people. By the end of 2007 there will be almost 400 CFAs across the province. The groups range in size from about five active CFAs (all with over 10 years service) in Brant to almost 80 in Peel!
- A complete annual report from 2006 is available on the CFA website.
- Revisions have been completed for the CFA Resource Binder and training program updates for the 2007 Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide are available on the website and have been distributed to current CFAs.
- French translations of Healthy Eating for Healthy Aging, the CFA Resource Manual and Vegetables and Fruit Everyday presentation manuals will be completed this year.
NutriSTEP™ is the newest addition at NRC
NutriSTEP™, a scientifically valid and reliable bilingual (English and French) nutrition risk screening questionnaire. NutriSTEP™ takes approximately five minutes to complete and has been designed for administration by parents, caregivers or community professionals, in a variety of settings.
- NutriSTEP™ stands for Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler.
- The questionnaire was developed by the Sudbury PHRED and University of Guelph.
- Most recently, the NutriSTEP™ questionnaire, implementation toolkit and bear logo have been trademark registered in Canada.
- To determine how to "ethically screen" for preschool nutrition risk, there are three Ontario health units coordinating the implementation NutriSTEP™ in a select setting with a set sample size. This pilot will run from 2007-2009.
- NutriSTEP™ not only screens, but also provides the educational resource "How to Build a Healthy Preschooler" for parents.
- NutriSTEP™ Program has also established its first advisory committee.
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