Sept 2013 Question 1:
1. Taking a look at one of the
eight barriers to eating healthy, which one would you focus on when creating an
intervention for these women? Why would you choose that barrier?
posted by Courtney Markey @ 7:35 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
I would focus on the taste and cost of healthy foods as a barrier. By supplying this population with the information about available resources for pregnant women,such as WIC, and educating them on cheaper ways to eat healthy this barrier can be easily overcome. Educating women on ways to cook healthily with canned vegetables, for example, would be one specific way to overcome these barriers to success.
In developing an intervention for this population group, I would focus on realistic solutions to the barrier "limited access to healthy foods". I would choose this barrier because I feel that it is an umbrella for other barriers these women face (i.e., cost of healthy foods and no steady supply of healthy foods month-to-month). Providing realistic interventions for this group to overcome that barrier might include providing information on resources like WIC as Kaitlin shared, in addition to providing information for other local non-for-profit groups. However, as a future RD I would want to address the other barriers as well by providing motivational interviewing, nutrition education, and counseling as appropriate.
The barrier I would focus on would be the taste and cost of healthy foods. So many people think healthy foods cost more, however when fruit and vegetables are in season they can be one of the cheapest items in the grocery store. Even when they are not in season, canned and frozen veggies are very reasonable. I would love to have a cooking session with some of the expectant mothers to show how awesome healthy meals can taste and how easy they can be. I would teach them how to cook in bulk (then freeze) since they do get fatigued easily. As Kaiti and Lynetta stated, educating them on helpful resources such as food banks and WIC would be something easy to do too.
Sarah S said...
If I had to choose one only to address I would choose limited access to healthy food. This way I could at least cover what foods ARE healthy as well as where they can find them in the community. I would also be able to address the cost of healthy foods, as there are many food banks and places where healthy foods can be procured for little money.
Sarah S said...
I like Carly's idea of teaching them how to cook the healthy foods and how to cook ahead for times when they are too tired to cook. This is something many non-pregnant people do, and they don't have the fatigue that pregnant women do.
I would focus on the barrier of overeating/pressure to eat. This barrier, although would take a while to overcome, strictly involves the woman being aware of her own hunger cues. I think overcoming this barrier will prevent excess weight gain, and will also help with long term weight maintenance.
I like Emily's idea of cutting right to the chase and addressing overeating and pressure to eat. By first addressing that, I feel it would natually address some of the other barriers that were mentioned.
In the same idea, Lynetta had a good point that focusing on limited access to healthy food could also naturally address the other barriers.
I think that I would focus on taste and cost of healthy foods. I feel that teaching people how to eat healthy food on a budget would be extremely helpful for them when they are grocery shopping. Many people have the misconception that all healthy foods are expensive and they do not taste good. Providing them with a grocery list of healthy items they can buy at the store that wont break the bank and a list of when foods are in season would be helpful in my opinion. Also giving the individuals easy recipes they could make at home for their families may also be beneficial.
I like Carly's idea about teaching to cook in bulk. A reason that many people choose to eat fast or convenient foods is due to a lack of time. If they cook on a Sunday for the upcoming week, this could allow them to fix a quick healthy meal for themselves and their families later on in the week.
Since it can be difficult to address access to particular foods, I would focus with clients on things they can change, particularly meal scheduling and preparation with fatigue. I think these are important issues particularly with some of the pregnant women I have known. Pregnancy can be exhausting, but that shouldn't get in the way of eating healthfully, because eating poorly can create its own cycle of fatigue.
It would be important to focus on healthy foods that are quick & easy to prepare, such as salads, frozen lean cuts of meat like chicken or turkey, frozen vegetables that you can pop in the microwave, breakfast smoothies, or veggie omelets. I would also determine whether they like to snack throughout the day or eat 3 squares and help them come up with snacks that are easy to take with them or set up different times of the day when they would like to eat.
Sarah has a really great point of focusing on community resources that will help a pregnant woman be nourished. This kind of also ties in with misconceptions about healthy foods, because many women might think you have to buy fancy packaged diet food to be healthy. Almost half the women in this study participate in WIC, this could also help them afford fruits and vegetables in combination with pantries and food stamps if appropriate.
I like Beth's idea of providing a grocery list of healthy items to help teach them how to buy healthy items on a budget. We are constantly fighting the misconception that healthy foods are expensive so this is an important barrier to discuss like some other people mentioned.
Aria made a very good point, pregnancy is exhausting and eating poorly does only exacerbate that problem. Providing personalized education and meal planning tips may help overcome barriers to eating healthy for this population.
Emily has a good point about the importance of stressing only eating when there are hunger cues. People who constantly eat, maybe because of boredom or stress, usually don't eat the healthiest foods at that time. Eating all day definitely adds up, especially when it's junk foods.
The barrier I would focus on is "pregnancy induced fatigue prevents cooking." I would offer them quick and easy recipes and even demo some recipes. I would also give them tips such as utilizing a crock pot or cooking a large meal on the weekend. I think with the right tools and knowledge it would allow them to see that cooking can be quick and easy.
I like Carly's idea of doing actual cooking classes with the expectant moms. Freezing the food is also a great idea and allows them to have things to heat up on nights they feel very tired.
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