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Since 2000, the UK-SRC Community Engagement Core (CEC) has provided support and guidance through critical information on nutrition and health-related issues to meet the needs of individuals and communities affected by environmental contaminants. This purpose is underscored through the title of its programs, Superfund Community Action through Nutrition (SCAN).
During previous funding, the CEC established a close collaboration with a community group in Kentucky, and SCAN programs, endorsed by this community group, provided a new service resource for nutrition and scientific information.
The goal of the CEC is to empower affected individuals and communities to take proactive steps toward their own health by drawing on the strength of the nutrition-related research from UK’s SRC. The specific aims of the CEC are:
1. further develop and present SCAN nutrition and environmental health education programs for a new third site in central Kentucky and the previously established community constituents;
2. further define the CEC’s nutrition education message and enhanced recommendations that diets low in fat and high in phytonutrients and fiber may reduce the toxicity of PCBs and related compounds as reported by UK’s SRP's biomedical researchers;
3. develop new, tangible qualitative outcome measures of SCAN programs as to improved knowledge and attitudes of health risks associated with exposure to environmental contaminants and the influence of nutrition on these risks with consideration of sensitive issues, such as community characteristics and pending litigation that may impede quantitative measures; and
4. further establish trust with identified community constituents in order to provide advanced SCAN programs, which show changes in nutrition and health-related behaviors and improved nutritional status.
Results of SCAN programs will be used to design new nutrition education and diet strategies for individuals, families, and communities to enable them to optimize their health in the face of exposure to Superfund contaminants.
Lisa Gaetke (Core Leader)
Lindell Ormsbee
Carolyn Hofe
Graduate Student/Researcher
Alison Thurow
CORE PUBLICATIONS, POSTERS, AND PRESENTATIONS
Environmental Pollutants and Nutrition Nuts and Seeds
Hazardous Chemicals and Your Body: Eating Right for a Healthier You (CES Booklet)
Hazardous Chemicals and Your Body: Eating Right for a Healthier You (CES Technical Document)
Superfund Booklet
Utilizing the Strengths of a Land-Grant Institution: The University of Kentucky SBRP and Cooperative Extension Service Working Together for Increased Stakeholder Engagement(PowerPoint Slideshow)
Fruit and Vegetable Tips
What's on Your Plate
Spice Up Your Immune System
Henry County, KY Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Sciences Agent
“train the trainer” approach for the community
| For more information on CEC programs, or to schedule a UK-SRC Community Engagement representative to speak at your event, contact Lisa Gaetke at 859-257-3800. |
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