MONDAY, OCTOBER 20

Poster Session: Food/Nutrition Science; Education; Management; Food Services/Culinary; Research

Diet of Children with Cancer in Guatemala

Author(s): N. Assaf1, T.T. Mosby2, E. Han1, A. Molina Linares3; 1St. JudeChildren’s Res. Hosp., Memphis, TN, 2The Univ. of Memphis, Memphis, TN,3Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Learning Outcome: Understand common dietary deficiencies in children withcancer in Guatemala.

Introduction: Many children in Guatemala do not eat an adequate diet.Therefore, caregivers of children with cancer need to be educated about howto maximize available foods to provide adequate nutrition for their childrenduring cancer treatment.

Aims: 1. Evaluate diet of children with cancer in outpatient clinic. 2. Developeducational material teaching caregivers on how to improve patients’ dietusing available food.

Methods: 1. Collect 24 hour dietary recall from 33 children, 2. Evaluate 24hour dietary recalls using Nutritionist Pro, 3. Identify macronutrient andmicronutrient deficiencies, 4. Identify most commonly eaten foods, 5.Develop educational material teaching how to improve diet.

Results: Calorie (Kcal) intake compared to estimated needs: 48% of patientshad 100% or more, 20% of patients had 75-99%, 24 % of patients had 50-74%and 8% of patients had less than 49%; Protein: 84% of patients met theirprotein requirements, 14 % had 50-99% and 3% had less than 49%. 2. Per-centage of patient deficient in micronutrients: Fluoride 64%, Vitamin E 61%,Vitamin K 42%, Iodine 39%, Linolenic acid 33%, Potassium 33%, Vitamin D 27%,Linoleic acid 27%, Vitamin C 24%, Chromium 24%, Calcium 18%, Zinc 15%, and12 % Phosphorus, Niacin, Manganese, Magnesium or Iron . 3. Most commonlyconsumed food by a food group: Vegetable: tomato, carrot, potato, chayote;Fruit: banana, orange juice; Protein: eggs, beef, black and pinto beans,chicken; Grains: tortilla, bread, rice; Dairy: milk, cheese, yogurt.

Conclusion: Educational material “Rota folio” was developed to address de-ficiencies using commonly eaten food.

Funding Disclosure: ALSAC

Self-Reported Knowledge by Older Adults after Exposure to Cooking Healthy,Eating Smart: A Community-Based Nutrition Intervention

Author(s): M. Getty1, E. Amella2, M. Mueller2, M. Finney1, A. Fraser1; 1Food,Nutrition, and Packaging Sciences, Clemson Univ., Clemson, SC, 2College ofNursing, Med. Univ. of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

Learning Outcome: The participant will be able to state which types ofknowledge were more often recalled by this sample of rural, older adults.

Research Outcome: Exposure to a community-based nutrition intervention canincrease knowledge, a mediating variable in behavior change. The purpose ofthis study was to determine the nutrition knowledge of older adults whoattended an eight-week, nutrition intervention titled Cooking Healthy, EatingSmart (CHES).

Methods: Data were collected from rural, limited-resource, older adults(N¼218) who attended 12 randomly selected congregate nutrition sites inrural South Carolina. After each of the eight CHES lessons, participants wereasked to record what they learned on a blank index card. Participant re-sponses were then matched to one of the 34 learning questions distributedamong the eight CHES lessons. Learning questions were categorized by thetype of knowledge assessed: factual (“what?” n¼15), conceptual (“why?”n¼6), procedural (“how?” n¼10), and decision-making (“should I?” n¼3).

Analysis: Response frequencies were tabulated for the four learning questioncategories according to the number of participants who answered a particularlearning question and the number of participants present at that lesson.A goodness-of-fit test was used to compare the distributions of the results.

Results: Response frequencies were significantly different between thelearning question categories: 28.7% for procedural knowledge-based ques-tions, 17.0% for factual, 10.8% for conceptual, and 6.76% for decision-making(p<0.01).

Conclusion: After exposure to this curriculum, this sample of rural, olderadults mastered knowledge related to “how” and “what” more so than “why”or “should I.?”

Funding Disclosure: United States Department of Agriculture, under Agree-ment No. 2009-46100-05957, and the Rural Health and Safety Initiative of theCooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service/USDA

September 2014 Suppl 2—Abstracts Volume 114 Number 9

Hospital Employees’ Attitudes Regarding Healthy Menu Choices

Author(s): B. Truitt1, A. Rainville2; 1Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI,2School of Health Sciences, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI

Learning Outcome: Participants will gain insight on hospital employee atti-tudes towards healthier choices in meals, snacks, and beverages.

Background: Hospital committees are making on-going healthy menuchanges to positively impact employees and guests. A hospital system inSouth Florida, Memorial HealthCare System (MHS) formed a committee toimprove nutrition content of meals served in the cafeterias.

Methods: Surveys regarding menu items were completed by 484 employees atthe five MHS adult hospitals. Menu offerings were reviewed; changes weremade to reduce calories and fat and provide healthier choices at MemorialRegional Hospital and Memorial Miramar Hospital. Due to managementchanges and preparation for surveys, the remaining three MHS hospitals willbegin menu changes later.

Results: Survey results varied by facility. Twenty percent to 55% of employeeswanted 100% healthy items in cafeterias (Regional 45% and Miramar 55%).When asked if all fried food should be eliminated, 40% of Regional employeesand 31% of Miramar employees responded positively. When changes weremade cafeteria selling prices remained unchanged because the new healthierchoices did not affect food cost. After a full menu cycle was complete, em-ployees expressed acceptance of the healthier options.

Conclusions: Committees charged with offering more healthy choices maymeet with employee resistance. Education prior to and during changesthrough games and posted information may build enthusiasm for thechanges. Dietetics professionals can assist with education by promotingchanges and showing how healthy food choices may prevent diseases andobesity and help employees maintain high energy levels.

Funding Disclosure: None

Issues Faced by Dietitians in Rural Practice in Selected Midwestern States

Author(s): L. Birk1, Y. Kim2, D. Erickson2, A. Yates2; 1Louisiana Tech Univ.,Ruston, LA, 2School of Human Ecology, Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston, LA

Learning Outcome: Identify characteristics of rural dietetics practice includingthe unique issues faced by dietitians in rural areas and describe recom-mendations to respond to issues such as professional isolation, professionalsupport, and recruitment.

The purpose of this research was to profile dietitians in rural practice anddetermine issues they face with the intent to provide insight into factors thataffect both availability and retention of dietitians in rural communities.Currently there is no published comparable research that has been conductedin the United States. The sample included 113 Registered Dietitians fromseven Midwestern states who participated in an online survey. The surveyconsisted of 35 multiple choice and open response questions and 28 state-ments to which respondents stated their level of agreement using a Likertscale. The average number of years of practice was 17.6 � 13.3 years and theaverage age of participants was 43 � 13.6 years. The majority of respondentsgrew up in areas with a population <10,000, attended non-metropolitanuniversities, and completed a rural placement during their dietetic intern-ship. The vast majority of participants indicated that a diverse caseload, ahigh degree of professional autonomy and work flexibility were positive at-tributes of rural employment. Other responses provided insights into whydietitians intend to leave positions and the scope of rural practice. A numberof issues identified such as professional isolation, lack of professional support,and lack of opportunity for specialization have been linked to poor retention.Recommendations to minimize issues identified focused on professionalisolation, professional support, continuing education, student supervision,and recruitment. Examining dietitians in rural practice and addressing issuesrelated to retention and availability is a crucial step in increasing access tonutrition care in rural communities.

Funding Disclosure: None

JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS A-55