Subject(s)
Diet/standards , Nutrition Surveys , Pregnancy Complications/metabolism , Adolescent , Adult , Black People , Blood Chemical Analysis , Female , Haiti/ethnology , Hispanic or Latino , Humans , Maternal Age , New York City , Pregnancy , Prenatal Care , Puerto Rico/ethnology , RiskABSTRACT
An assessment of the effectiveness of aides working in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) to improve the nutritional status of infants was conducted with a group of 118 infants attending a well-baby clinic in a low-income area of New York City. In addition to clinic care, the fifty-seven study infants received home visits from a nutrition aide whose role was to reinforce nutritional advice received at the clinic. The sixty-one control infants received only regular clinic care. The benefits of having an aide were suggested by three observations: Reduction in the practice of introducing whole cow's milk to young infants, familiarizing older infants with a variety of foods, and reducing the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia. Few of the differences between study and control infants achieved statistical significance, although trends consistently indicated that the presence of aides was beneficial. The problems of assessing the effectiveness of nutrition education programs with healthy infants are discussed.
Subject(s)
Health Education/standards , Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Parents/education , Black or African American , Child Health Services , Community Health Workers , Feeding Behavior , Haiti/ethnology , Hispanic or Latino , Humans , Infant , Infant Food , New York City , Puerto Rico/ethnologyABSTRACT
Infant feeding practices among low-income infants in East Harlem were surveyed prior to undertaking a nutrition education program. Data were obtained from 24-hr. recalls on 153 infants seen in a well-baby clinic. Intakes of energy, protein, fat, ascorbic acid, iron, and sodium showed wide variations among infants of similar ages. Nutrient intakes were similar for black and Puerto Rican infants, although some ethnic differences were observed in the types of milk and solid foods consumed. Black infants received formula for a longer period, while Puerto Rican infants were transferred to whole cow's milk at a younger age. In contrast black infants were introduced to table foods earlier.
