Newsletter helps Midwest states share information

Food and Nutrition, Jan, 1986 by Mary Jane Getlinger

When the state education commissioners in the Midwest directed their staff to make nutrition and fitness a priority, the Food and Nutrition Service's Midwest regional office (MWRO) looked for a way to help.

What they came up with is a newsletter called "Nutrition and Fitness--A Winning Combination." Like "SNAP-Shots" in the Southwest, the newsletter is a vehicle for sharing information and ideas on nutrition activities.

"Nutrition and Fitness" is put together by MWRO's nutrition and technical services staff in cooperation with the region's child nutrition program staff. The newsletter features brief articles researched and written by regional office staff or by state NET (Nutrition Education and Training Program) coordinators.

Articles highlight exemplary state activities as well as successful classroom and cafeteria activities in individual school districts. The newsletter also includes a calendar of nutrition events throughout the Midwest and descriptions of available nutrition education materials.

Format allows

states flexibility

In planning the newsletter, the MWRO staff looked for an approach that would allow states the most flexibility in using the information. "What we came up with," says Robert Dean, nutrition and technical services director for the region, "is a format that makes it easy for state staff to excerpt topics that are of interest to their schools."

When the regional staff finishes putting together an issue of the newsletter, they give each state department of education what is called a "camera ready" copy. If the state staff wants to send out the entire newsletter, they can use this camera-ready material to have copies printed. If they want to excerpt sections of the newsletter, they simply pull out what they want and include the information in their own materials.

Each state has chosen its own method for distributing the newsletter. Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin regularly reprint excerpts in their food service newsletters that go to local school superintendents and food service directors. Michigan's staff duplicates some of the issues and sends them out with their newsletter. Ohio also uses entire issues.

In addition to using the material in regular mailings, some states have also planned special distributions. For example, when Wisconsin received the directive to teach fitness in the classroom, state staff included the newsletter in a mailing of nutrition aids to approximately 500 physical educatin teachers. The Ohio staff mailed 3,000 copies to physical education teachers, school nurses, home economics teachers, and food service directors.

Denise Barnes of Winfield, Illinois, is one of the physical education teachers who have been using the newsletter this year. She says she's found it helpful in her work with students, especially since limited budgets have made it difficult to secure teaching aids even though the school principal and superintendent are supportive of nutrition and fitness awareness.

"Winfield is a typical suburban community whose school district is suffering from a lack of funds because of a decrease in student population," says Barnes.

"The school no longer has special classes such as home economics, so nutrition has to be incorporated into the health and physical education classes."

When public attention was drawn to eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, Barnes began to be concerned about the girls in her classes.

"Because my class is informal," she says, "I talk a lot with the girls. I found that fad diets were popular with the girls and there was a great deal of misinformation among the girls and their parents.

"The 'Nutrition and Fitness' newsletter helped me secure some really current information and teaching materials. I was able to find sources of publications, handouts and charts, and order them from the addresses given at little cost to the school. I also learned about some computer software programs that teach nutrition concepts."

MWRO pleased

with results

FNS' Midwest regional staff is pleased to see that the newsletter is facilitating exchange among states. Interestingly enough, the process of planning the newsletter has also encouraged exchange within some states.

"In planning the newsletter," says Dick gilbert, assistant chief for MWRO's school programs section, "the state child nutrition directors, the state NET coordinators, and the state physical education coordinators exchanged ideas with regional staff. In a number of instances, this helped the state staff have a more coordinated idea of how they wanted to approach nutrition and fitness efforts."

Since the first issue of "Nutrition and Fitness" came out in September 1984, there have been five additional issues, including one this month. For a copy, or for more information, write: Information Staff Midwest Regional Office, FNS, USDA 50 East Washington Chicago, Illinois 60602