American Samoa Report
SARE Professional Development Program Annual Report
for American Samoa
January 1 - December 31, 2010
SARE Coordinator:
Don Vargo
American Samoa Community College
P.O. Box 5319
Pago Pago American Samoa 96779
011-684-699-1394
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Summary of 2010 PDP Activities and Results
American Samoa suffers from an exceedingly high prevalence of overweight and obese persons in all age groups. This impacts the quality of life for our rural community through correspondingly high rates of non-communicable diseases. In December 2010, Western SARE-PDP sponsored a three-day workshop on nutrition for seven EFNEP, 4-H and Agricultural CES agents. Twenty-two others from Public Health, WIC, School Lunch Program, LBJ Tropical Medical Center's diabetes and dietician clinics and a long-term-care home also attended. The UC Davis workshop instructor emphasized growing and consuming locally produced fruits and vegetables among other strategies to help stem the obesity epidemic. A Wellness Action Coalition of these and other professionals was formed to plan and act in concert.
Context and Overview
Our Western SARE-PDP strategic plan aims at upgrading, maintaining and evaluating CES, NRCS, USFS and local Dept. of Agriculture agents so that they may competently and effectively deliver sustainable agriculture information. During 2010 we expanded our outreach to include health care workers and professionals involved in post-harvest food services. Malnourishment associated with over-nutrition is an insidious problem that threatens the vitality of our island community. EFNEP and other food-oriented professionals needed to prioritize key nutritional issues for all age groups in the Samoan population and to design a program of interventions to address these issues. A Wellness Action Coalition comprised of several local agencies working to promote a healthful lifestyle is one result.
Activities and Methods
Workshop: "Nutrition and Health for All Ages." November 30 to December 2, 2010. Total contact hours: 16
Instructor: Dr. Lucia Lynn Kaiser, Cooperative Extension, Department of Nutrition, University of California at Davis.
Meetings: Wellness Action Coalition, 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Participants:
EFNEP agents, College Researcher, Depts. of Education, Health, Agriculture, Human and Social Services (WIC), Youth and Women’s Affairs and LBJ Tropical Medical Center.
Changes in Ag Professionals' Knowledge, Skills and Action
1) Acquisition of new knowledge and skills. The workshop identified four key areas of focus for the prevention of childhood obesity:
- Reduce sweetened beverage intake.
- Increase active play and decrease screen time.
- Increase fruit and vegetable consumption and create a community garden program.
- Balance energy intake with expenditure.
2) Changes in attitudes or understanding.
Pre- and post-workshop exams were given and participants were unanimous in their praise of the workshop. At the end of this page are some of the actions workshop participants plan to undertake as a result of the workshop.
3) Changes in behavior and action.
The enthusiastic support for establishing a Wellness Action Coalition is the best indicator for a change in behavior and action. The workshop provided a venue where disparate agencies with a similar mission met together for the first time. Afterward, a call for a continuing coalition was unanimously approved.
Unintended Outcomes
1) See Changes in behavior and action above.
2) Also as a result of the workshop, Kaiser, Vargo and five others submitted a Pacific Rim Planning Grant research proposal, "The Dual Burden of Overweight and Anemia in a Pacific Islander Population."
Involvement of others in state PDP planning and implementation:
No SARE-PDP Advisory Committee exists for American Samoa. Instead State Coordinator Don Vargo contacts each Cooperative Extension Agent and U.S. Forest Service agent in his college, the Deputy Director of the American Samoa Dept. of Agriculture and the local NRCS office for training topics. Priority is given to CES agents, as related by the Assistant Director for Extension.
Post-workshop Plans
Goal: Increase fruit and vegetable consumption (Gardens)
What are some possible strategies?
Fruits and veggies 5 times a day
- Every school should have veggie garden
- Family meals
- Competition (healthy recipes/cooking)
- Farm fair
- Different cooking methods
- Increase salads bar
- Cheaper prices locally
- Parents as role model
Pick one of the strategies. How could nutrition education support that strategy?
- Each school should have vegetable garden! (Teach kids physical activity & healthy eating.)
- Influence (Setting examples for the community)
- Steps:
- Getting teachers/parents involved
- Farmers workshops/ideas
- Supplies and tools/seeds
- Media ad (showing benefits)
Goal: Balance energy intake with physical activity:
What are some possible strategies?
- Educate parents/caregivers
- Limit TV/entertainment or lessen TV watching
- Create list of activities/ schedule for the kids instead of being homebound. (at least an hour).
- Get involved in PTA and suggest after school physical activities and make it happen!
- Get village and church councils involved; prepare activities to keep the kids occupied.
Pick two of the above. How would nutrition education support that strategy? Target: PTA / grade school
- Set up a FOOD FAIR once a month to showcase the goods from the school’s garden (i.e. food tasting demonstration).
- Set up on-campus canteens and sell nutritional goods to curtail kids going to nearby off campus stores.
- Encourage more sports (variety) on their own.
Goal: Reduce consumption of sweetened beverages and increase water (maybe other?) consumption
What are some possible strategies?
- Sugar-free Kool-Aid
- More variety of sugar- free soft drinks
- Simoi (lihing mui) powder?
- More skim milk or 2%
- Policy that regulates sale of sweetened beverages around schools
- Policy to nutrition include nutrition classes in current school curriculum
- Home economics should promote healthy cooking
- Water bottles for students
- Policy to regulate importation of only 100% juice.
Pick one of the above: how could nutrition education support that strategy? “Social Marketing”
- Target Audience: policy makers (Fono), vendors, DOC
- Present data/facts, National Nutrition Plan (re-introduce)
Goal: Decrease screen time (T.V/ Computer) increase active play.
What are some possible strategies?
- 1hr screen/TV time (limit)
- No cable TV
- No TV in room
- 1 movie (family) night/time (WKD)
- Computer (H.WK)- 1 hr Research/Password locked computer
- Outdoor chores daily (schedule & consistent)
- Outdoor activity (1hr)
- Provide outdoor playing equipment.
- Family discussions & planning
- Participation in school sports (school, village, church activities…)
- Parent/Adult participation with kids.
Pick one strategy. How could nutrition education support that strategy?
- Participation in school, village, church sports, activities…
- Outdoor activities (to increase physical activity)
- Plan: find out need (e.g. –focus groups (e/w/m).Questionnaires
- Enough SPOA? Nutritious food?
- Target: schools, PTAs, school lunch, cooks in schools, teachers, DOE-policy council
- Request to increase PE time in school and move time to pm (before school end)
- Ask type of sport they have
- Rewards/incentives to encourage participations make it fun and creative
- PE teachers
