Another area of research involves improving dietary quality of preschoolers and their families. Our interventions assist individuals of economic disadvantage via funding from USDA-Food Stamp Nutrition Education and collaborations with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (John Frassinelli, MS, RD) and preschool programs such as Head Start and School Readiness Programs. These interventions also provide rich experiences for dietetics students in the School of Allied Health to obtain knowledge, skills and competency in community and public health nutrition. Through implementing the Captain 5 A Day Program, we reach over 1300 preschoolers in Connecticut. Previous short-term outcome studies have shown that the intervention, delivered by preschooler teachers and supported by the families, increases lunchtime acceptance and intake of vegetables. See www.captain5aday.org for a complete description of the Captain 5 A Day Program as well as downloadable nutrition education materials for preschoolers, families and educators, many also available in Spanish. Recent funding from the American Diabetes Association Foundation, Healthy Food Choices Research Award, will allow our team to determine if the Captain 5 A Day Program produces sustained improvements in children's consumption of vegetables and how variation in oral sensation influences the response to the Program.
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