Community-Specific Health Education Curriculum for Rural Community Gardens

University of Alaska Anchorage Master of Public Health

Juliana Crandall B.S.Community-Specific Health Education Curriculum for Rural Community Gardens

Yagheli ilan du?Community Partner

Tyonek Tribal Conservation District (TTCD)

Practicum Project Committee

Elizabeth Hodges Snyder, PhD, MPHNancy Nix, MD, MPH & TM, MEd, CHESChirsty Cincotta, MSVirginia Miller, DRPH, MS, MPH

Background and Significance Goals and Objectives The Project Methodology Results and Discussion Public Health ImplicationsStrengths and LimitationsConclusion and Recommendations Overview

Background and Significance

Photo Credit TTCD Photo Credit TTCD

1920sAlaska Native people grew a variety of produce to supplement wild harvest1930s-1960sSmall gardens through Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools, 4-H and familiesLarge-scale industrial farms have not been successfulDark wintersSoil quality Transportation Funding

History of Food Production & Harvest in Alaska

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture (2012)In 2012 Alaska had 762 farms of various sizesThis is an increase of 11% from 2007Edible crop sales made up 42% of the overall market values of products sold in 2012Community gardens are flourishing in AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Nome and Barrow and Anchorage (UAF Cooperative Extension Service, 2015)

Current Status

Food System definition (Hanna, Frazier, Parker and Ikantova, 2012) Production DistributionFood prep, preservation and processingFood use and consumptionRecycling and disposal of food waste

Food Systems and Food Insecurity in Alaska

The World Health Organization (2016) defines food security as when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active lifeThe Alaskan Inuit Food Security Report (2015) defines it as the natural right of all Inuit to be part of the ecosystem, to access food and to care-take, protect and respect all of life, water and airAlaskas Food Insecurity

Disruption of food system can cause vulnerability Alaska imports most of its food without equal exports A large natural disaster could take out ports and roads

Alaskas Food Security at Risk

Gardening is associated with a variety of health benefits (Gardening Matters, 2012)Increased physical activityIncreased consumption of fruits and vegetablesImproved mental health Opportunities for socialization

Health Benefits of Gardening

Approximately 148,000 Alaska Native people in AlaskaDisproportionate health disparities (Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, 2015) Higher suicide ratesHigher substance abuse ratesHigher sexual assault and intimate partner violenceEspecially in youthTraditional subsistence activities still practiced but being supplemented with pre-packaged, shelf-stable foods

Changing Health of Alaska Native People

Tyonek, Alaska and Development of Agriculture Tyonek is located 40 miles SW of AnchorageDenaina Indian Alaska Native village Approx. 200 peopleRich culture in song, dance, storytelling and religion Called the Tebughna which means Beach People

Photo Credit Juliana Crandall

Tyonek Tribal Conservation District (TTCD)Nonprofit that provides technical and financial assistance to landownersAssists in reaching conservation goalsHelped implement the 1.5 acre community garden in 2012Raised bedsIrrigation systemTwo seasonal high tunnelsWork with the community to plant startsFarmers markets Youth Conservation Science Program

Photo Credits TTCD

The Project

Photo Credits ADN.com

Goal: To inform and educate Alaska Native communities about the health benefits of community gardening. Aim: To develop a community-specific health education curriculum incorporating the Tyonek Garden as a main component. Objectives:Provide twelve (12) one-hour lesson plans to TTCD and one addition on how to make adjustments to different communities. Pilot two lesson plans with Alaska Native youth to receive feedback. Distribute the curriculum with community members for review and feedback.

Goal, Aim and Objectives

Goal/PurposeObjectivesLesson OutlineBackground for Instructor-Including main concepts -Supplemental information Warm-up/Ice BreakerMain Lesson with Activities-Materials list-Step by step instructions-ScriptEvaluation and ClosingAdditional References and Appendices, as needed

Community-Specific Health Education Curriculum

Photo Credit TTCD

Lesson Schedule Lesson 1: Goal SettingLesson 2: Heart Disease Lesson 3: Dinner Together Lesson 4: Serving SizeLesson 5: Cooking with KidsLesson 6: Fiber and Leafy GreensLesson 7: Cholesterol and Wild FoodsLesson 8: Carbs, Protein and FatLesson 9: Canning/PreservingLesson 10: Cooking with Canned GoodsLesson 11: Diabetes Awareness Lesson 12: Healthy RelationshipsLesson 13: Customization

The lessons do not use technology because there is limited technology in the villageThe recipes use canned items that are common in the communityTraditional foods are incorporatedLanguage is incorporatedThe seasonal availability is taken into consideration

Place Based

Health Belief ModelA person wont make a behavior change unless there is value to them (Glanz, Rimer, Viswanath, 2008)Lessons intend to put value on the health behavior topics Including cultural aspect to increase value

Educational Theory

Participants in the Tyonek GardenYouth Elders AdultsAlaska Native Target Audience

http://anthctoday.org/epicenter/healthyportraits/21

Focus group with Alaska Native youthFocus group with Alaska Native Elders/adultsContent ReviewASD Certified Teacher Health Educator expertMethodology

Results and Discussion

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Question Positive ResponseNegative Response Was the lesson easy to follow?100Was the information useful?100Share your favorite part?100Share comments, suggestion or improvements?100

Results- Youth and Elder Feedback

Based on the feedbackAdded some lesson instructions Adjust warm-up games to accommodate large and small groupsInclude more recipesMajority of the feedback included the lessons were easy to follow and didnt have too much jargonFelt the lessons were timely, had good flow

Discussion

Public Health Implications

Photo Credit Juliana Crandall

Physical health Heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol Food nutrition knowledgeRecipes for healthier eating, cooking Family connectionInterpersonal relationshipsIntended Knowledge Increase on Health Topics

Strengths and Limitations

Photo Credit TTCD

Community-specific, more buy inFulfills a need in the community Based on feedback, easy to follow and understand

Strengths

Despite familiarity of the community, still removed Needed to pilot all modules Low response from Elders No health education responseNeeded more in-depth questionsLimitations

Conclusions and Recommendations

Photo Credits TTCD

ConclusionsThere is a desire to improve health and food knowledge in AlaskaFoster Subsistence Harvesting and Related Skills (Meter, 2014)Building personal capacities in agriculture (Meter, 2014) Content and format seem appropriate

Continue to support community garden policy and expansionNeed for more research on community gardens Evaluate modules with pre and post test Recommendations

Photo Credit ANTHC

Tell them that I thank themand I like to see them all the time when they coming.Talk to me, and I talk back to them, speak to them and everything else.I thank them for that.Chinan hech qeshnash huI am thankful if I can talk this way to you,shch qenadelghesh chu.and you can talk to me.Shi ka hech qeshnish, hech qeshnash shu,If I can talk to you as I customarily speak,Chiqinik gheli shtunutghelggesh dghu.I would be very thankful when I leave.

Photo Credit CIRI

ANTHC Diabetes Registry. (2015).Caldwell, S. Tyonek harvests an unlikely bumper crop: 60 pounds of watermelon. Alaska Dispatch News [Anchorage] 17 Oct. 2015. Print. Census 2000 Tyonek, Alaska. (2000). Retrieved from http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml?src=bkmkMulitiple Benefits of Community Gardening. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.gardeningmatters.org/

References

Kreuter, M. W. (1998) Community Health Promotion Ideas That Work a Field-book for Practitioners. Mass.:Jones and Bartlett, 123-145. Print. Loring, P. A., & Gerlach, S. C. (2010). Outpost Gardening in Interior Alaska: Food System Innovation and the Alaska Native Gardens of the 1930s through the 1970s. Ethnohistory, 57(2), 183-199.Merculieff, L., & Roderick, L. (2013). Stop talking: Indigenous ways of teaching and learning and difficult dialogues in higher education. Anchorage, AK: University of Alaska Anchorage.Meter, K., & GoldernbergReferences

Meter, K., & Goldernberg, M. (2014). Building Food Security in Alaska (Rep.). Minniapolis: Crossroads Resource Center.Snyder, E. H., & Meter, K. (2015). Food in the Last Frontier: Inside Alaska's Food Security Challenges and Opportunities. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 57(3), 19-33.

References

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