NHLBI, Hearts N' Parks Program - 2003 Magnet Center Sites

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2003 Magnet Center Sites

Las Vegas, NV—Adult Programs

Description

The Staff Education Program focused primarily on heart-healthy eating. Mayor Oscar Goodman became a supporter and spokesperson for this Hearts N’ Parks program. Mayor Goodman’s personal goal was to learn how to eat healthier and to lose weight – in this, he was very successful. During the course of the program, staff walks were conducted with the mayor. A traveling “Oscar” display board, named in honor of the mayor, also went to each department site and included information about heart-healthy eating and physical activity; a park system mileage map for walking and swimming; and lots of other articles and handouts to help staff make lifestyle changes. Information included Summer Fitness Facts, Recipes for Healthy Salads and Main Courses, Setting Up a Walking Program, Fall Fitness Facts, Healthy Soup Recipes, "How to Choose Foods to Help You Lose," and other weight loss tips. When information on the “Oscar” board changed, e-mail messages were sent to staff, so they could pick up the latest tips. The Doolittle Seniors' Nutrition Program incorporated a heart-healthy eating focus into an existing chair exercise class and lunch program. The seniors participated in a number of nutrition workshops, led by speakers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Nutrition and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Service. During the program, participants received a heart-healthy cookbook and sampled healthy recipes. They learned about the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, how to read food labels, and how to shop healthy on a budget. Participants also learned about the differences between saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats, as well as the fat and sugar content of common foods with visual displays such as fat tubes and sugar packets. One of the last workshops focused on eating out and how to choose wisely in fast-food and sit-down restaurants.

Program Information

Name of program	Doolittle Seniors' Nutrition	Staff Education
Program start and end date	5/6/2003 to 6/24/2003	8/11/2003 to 10/3/2003
Number of times program met per week	1	N/A
Number of participants (total)	26	25
Number of male participants	5	6
Number of female participants	21	19
Target group	Adult	Adult
Program focus
Physical Activity	-
Heart-Healthy Eating
Blood Pressure	-	-
Cholesterol	-	-
Location of activities
Classes	-	-
Fitness center	-	-
Senior center		-
Other	-
Materials used
Information Handout
Lesson		-
Activity	-
Menus	-
Other	-	-

Public Visibility

Internal efforts to promote Hearts N' Parks programs:

Bulletin board or information racks
Newsletter or brochure
Posters in buildings
Other: e-mails to the staff

External efforts to promote Hearts N' Parks programs:

Media Coverage: N/A

Special Event(s): N/A
Number of presentations: N/A

Other: N/A

Partners

Partners who contributed to adult programs:

Partner Name	Partner Contribution
University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Nutrition	Led nutrition workshops.
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Service	Led nutrition workshops.

Performance Measures

Staff Education
Staff scores showed improvement in the areas of heart-healthy eating knowledge, heart-healthy eating attitude, overweight/obesity attitude, and heart-healthy eating behavior.

Doolittle Seniors' Nutrition
The seniors showed improvement in heart-healthy eating knowledge, overweight/obesity knowledge, heart-healthy eating attitude, and overweight/obesity attitude.