Nutrition services promote national nutrition month with worksite nutrition education and blood screening

Abstract

Objectives of this project were to organize a blood screening for employees and to provide a volunteer student exposure to nutrition education at the worksite. Education on heart healthy eating, iron deficiency anemia, and diabetes mellitus were chosen to encourage employees to be screened for cholesterol, hemoglobin, and glucose levels. Healthy People 2000 states these health areas as needing improvement for overall good health. Dates reflected current holiday themes and culminated in National Nutrition Month. Marketing included an article in the monthly newsletter, six weeks of table tents in the cafeteria, and flyers to promote the blood screening in mid-March. A major focus was a challenge for employees to compare their results to selected physicians and others. A certified laboratory was contacted to perform the blood screening. Results showed that 68% of the women and 79% of the men had cholesterol levels greater than 199 mg/dl Averaged hemoglobin of the women was 14 g/dl and 15 g/dl for men. Averaged glucose was 80 mg/dl for both sexes. All employees were instructed to send their results to their physician, especially when not in range. Oral and written feedback was received from various departments about the enjoyment of the thought provoking questions and information. Unanticipated education was needed beyond the screening to discuss desirable versus average levels of cholesterol. Nutrition services provided an opportunity for employees to learn healthier choices in their diets. The student recognized how to provide enticing information at the learners level, indicated an increased knowledge of the health topics, and learned how to provide nutrition education at the worksite.