Last month, Dr. Danielle Hollar, Principal Investigator of the Thriving Communities, Thriving Children (TC2) project, funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation, presented data on The OrganWise Guys nutrition education materials used in a faith-based setting. The poster in the picture below was presented at the annual American Public Health Association conference in New Orleans, LA.
Data from this poster were taken from the WK Kellogg Foundation Funded project Healthier Options for People through Extension 2 (HOPE2), which took place between 2009-2012. In HOPE2, a mini-grant component was created to offer OWG materials to communities where grant activities took place. Various faith-based institutions in the communities began implemented the OWG materials as result of the mini-grant component.
We learned that faith-based organizations can successfully lead obesity prevention education programming in their churches as well as outreach ministries in the community. Key staff enjoyed being trained on the OWG materials and, as a result, they were able to use the OWG materials in a consistent manner. Thanks to these findings, we have been replicating faith-based projects in the TC2 communities through mini-grants.
Some great ways to incorporate the healthy messages of the OWG into regular faith-based activities include using the Foods of the Month kit for potluck dinners/lunches or other meals served at church, and using the OWG doll or other materials to during community meetings or community outreach.
