WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27

POSTER SESSION: NUTRITION EDUCATION/PUBLIC RELATIONSPROMOTING A HEALTHY START FOR YOUNGCHILDREN. L.F. Marquart, PhD, RD, C.S. Chalupnicki,R.D. and S. Hosey, P&C Food Markets, Syracuse, NY.

Nutritionists are often looking for creative approaches todeliver a nutrition message to preschool children, their teachersand parents. Nutraman, Chrissy Clown and Roy the Nutraboyused juggling, gymnastics and singing to create genuineenthusiasm about good eating and regular exercise among localday care/nursery school children. This 20-minute program wasdesigned to promote a "Healthy Start: Food To Grow On" forchildren 2-6 years of age. The local supermarket chainpromoted the program through in-store poster displays anddirect mailings to day care centers/nursery schools. Nutramanand company presented 40 programs at 25 sites to 1470 childrenand 75 teacher/caregivers. A variety of interactive teachingtechniques were used. Fruit and vegetable consumption wasemphasized through the Nutra-Gang (dressed fruits andvegetables) and Roy the Nutraboy (child-sized ventriloquistfigure). Juggling and singing helped highlight the importance ofeating fruits and vegetables. Exercise was encouraged throughmime and audience participation in animal characterizations.Brochures, newsletters and activity booklets were distributed toteachers for parents and children. Teachers and caregivers from17 facilities completed evaluations several weeks after theprogram. Of the 17 facilities that responded, 17 indicated theprogram was age appropriate, 14 used the nutrition coloringpages in class, 17 provided more nutrition and exerciseopportunities for children, 6 reported positive feedback fromparents, 12 would like more nutrition and exerciseinformation/activities, while 17 sent all the "Healthy Start"materials home to parents. This program, along with mediacoverage, increased visibility and requests for "Healthy Start"materials.

USE OF VISUAL AIDS TO PRESENT THE FOOD GUIDE PYRAMIDFOR NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH. S. R. McClure, MS, RD,LD, K. B. Bradford, RD, LD, M. Bivins, RD, LD, L. Zeitler, RD, LD,CNSD, J. Hershom, RD, LD, J. Summers, RD, LD, J. Dickson, RD, LD,J. Chang, MS, RD, LD, and E. James, Department of Nutrition andFood Service, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center,Houston, TX

During National Nutrition Month, dietitians (RDs) and dietetictechnicians (DTs) featured the Food Guide Pyramid to promote thetheme, "Eat Right America." The goals were to 1) introduce the FoodGuide Pyramid, 2) help the public and staff visualize the portions offood needed to fulfill the requirements of the pyramid, and 3)stimulate interest in foods from other cultures. A three dimensionaltable top model of the pyramid, made of plexiglass, was used fordisplaying food. Each Wednesday, the RDs and DTs manned a tableoutside the cafeteria during peak lunch hours. Appropriate nutritioninformation and food samples were distributed weekly. Week 1featured the bread and cereal group. A jar containing 600 calories ofair popped millet, wheat, rice, and corn was utilized as a guessinggame and an educational tool. An ADA apron and lunch bag servedas prizes for the weekly drawings. Posters on grains were developedby a junior girl scout troop under the guidance of an RD. Week 2,seven servings of fruits and vegetables were added to the pyramid.Unusual fruits and vegetables were featured. Week 3 presented themeat and milk groups. Nine varieties of beans were displayed aswell as milk, cheese, yogurt, and meat. Week 4 highlighted theaddition of fats and sweets to the pyramid. The annual per capitaconsumption of sugar, 128 lbs, was displayed. Posters revealed theadded sugar content of certain foods by placing individual bags ofsugar under the pictures of these foods. Ten pounds of beef fat wasused to give substance to the concept that a daily intake of 100"extra" calories can result in a 10-pound weight gain in a year. Onehundred calorie portions of some favorite snack foods were displayedand distributed. Week 5 focused on a healthy diet. The pyramidwas fully stocked to demonstrate a recommended daily intake offood. Changes in nutrition labeling were featured. Throughout themonth, participants were captivated by the visual displays of foodportion sizes, sugar consumption, fat tissue, and unique foods. Thesewere effective tools for generating interest and educating the staff,patients, and visitors.

SELF-EFFICACY AS A PREDICTOR OF COMPLIANCE TO ACARDIAC DIET REGIMEN. A.E. Martin, MS, RD, College ofAgriculture, Department of Foods and Nutrition and HomeEconomics, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona CA

Twenty two cardiac inpatients of St. Joseph's Hospital in Tucson,Arizona, were studied to assess the relationship between anindividual's perception of self-efficacy (SE) in following a low fat dietand actual amount of kilocalories (kcals) consumed as fat. Subjectswere eligible if they were between the ages of 21 and 80, admittedto the Coronary Intensive Care Unit with the diagnosis of angina ormyocardial infarction, without additional chronic diseases and theability to read, write, and speak English. One patient refusedparticipation. Following educational intervention by a RegisteredDietitian, a SE questionnaire was administered. Participants wereasked to rate statements regarding intentions towards diet using a5-point Likert Scale. The participants were then followed up bytelephone at 6 and 12 weeks post-intervention and interviewed toobtain a 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency assessment. Threepatients were not able to be contacted for follow-up. The SpearmanRank Correlation Coefficient (p < .05) was employed to determine if arelationship existed between perceived SE and actual amount of kcalsconsumed as fat. Although no relationship between the definedvariables was confirmed, all of the subjects except for two consumedan amount of fat equal to or less than 30% of estimated kcals tomaintain ideal body weight. This suggests that all of the subjectswere compliant with the diet prescribed. In addition, all subjectsexcept for one in the present study scored above 40 on the SEquestionnaire, indicating that 95% of the participants felt that he/she'could probably do' all of the tasks indicated to lower fat intake.Inherent drawbacks with this study included a relatively smallsample size (N= 19), and subjective reports of dietary intake.Telephone follow-up was found to be of value, albeit time consuming,affording an opportunity for informal evaluation of the subject'scomprehension of the diet prescription and useful feedback oneducational methods. The contact also provided the subjects achange to ask questions and to receive reinforcement for progress todate.

DIETARY PRACTICES AND RELEVANT CHARACTERIS-TICS OF UNIVERSITY DANCE MAJORS. M.J. Leeds,EdD, RD, and C.M. Menke, RD, Department ofAllied Health, Slippery Rock University,Slippery Rock, PA

Dancers are under continuous pressure tobe at low body weights, not only for aparticular look, but also for performance.The purposes of this study were to determinedietary practices and identify related char-acteristics in female university dance ma-jors. Subjects included 14 female dance ma-jors, 18 to 22 years old, at a 4 year univer-sity in rural, western Pennslyvania. Datacollection methods included a 3-day food re-cord, skinfold measurements, a personal in-formation questionnaire, and an oxygen capac-ity (V02) test. The mean BMI was 22.4+2.8,the mean percent body fat was 23.4+4.1, and78.6 percent of the dancers reported thatthey desired to lose weight. The 3-day foodrecord showed a mean caloric intake of1,298.2+428.5 Calories. The mean percent ofCalories from carbohydrate was 57.1+7.1, fromfat was 29.2+7.0, and from protein was 13.9+2.4. The mean intake for iron was 9.1+2.7milligrams (mg), 71.4 percent of the ancerswere below 67 percent of their RecommendedDietary Allowance (RDA). The mean intake forcalcium was 522.7+198.8 mg, 85.7 percent werebelow 67 percent f their RDA. The mean in-take for vitamin C was 102.2+65.5 mg. Someform of supplement was being-used by 28.6percent of the dancers; 85.7 percent were onthe university meal plan. The mean V02 maxwas 41.3+13.4 milliliters (ml) of oxygen perkilogram-(kg), with the average range being35 to 43 ml/kg. In conclusion, the findingsshow that the dance majors were lacking incalories, iron, and calcium, suggesting aneed for dietary counseling.

A-60 / SEPTEMBER 1993 SUIPILEMENT VOLUME 93 NUMBER 9

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