CFHL, UCCE San Mateo partnership with JobTrain results in 128 adult students increasing food resource management life skills, contributing to UC ANR's public value of safeguarding abundant, healthy food for all California.
The Issue
Research indicates that approximately 134,443 people in San Mateo County live at or below 185% of the poverty level and 18% are SNAP-Ed eligible. Given the pandemic and ongoing economic crisis, this number is expected to grow next year. Of the SNAP-Ed eligible population, 66% of adults are overweight/obese.
How UC Delivers
To address these health concerns, CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE San Mateo County (CFHL, UCCE) has partnered with JobTrain, a non-profit education and training institution delivering the food resource management curriculum “Plan, Shop, Save and Cook” to adult participants for the past eight years. JobTrain provides career training in fields such as culinary arts, certified nursing assistant (CNA), medical assistance, carpentry, building maintenance, and IT support and services. While this training enables students to move from unemployment into careers offering self-sufficiency, the nutrition and food resource management classes offered through partnership with CFHL, UCCE offer important life skills in consumer decision making, dietary health and wellness.
“These valuable life skills complement the vocational training they receive at JobTrain,” said Elaine Silver, Nutrition Educator for CFHL, UCCE in San Mateo and San Francisco counties. During lessons, JobTrain students learn about MyPlate, shopping on a budget, preparing healthy meals and snacks for families, reading food labels, and the importance of physical activity.
Since October 2020, 128 JobTrain students have taken Silver's virtual Plan, Shop, Save and Cook lessons. In past years, these lessons were delivered in person, but switched to Zoom during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders to allow JobTrain students to continue building these important life skills.
The Impact
Overall, 88% of the students reported improvements ranging from 43% comparing unit prices more often to 60% reading/using nutrition facts labels more often. In addition, 28% of participants reported running out of food less often before the end of the month – suggesting they were more food secure after taking the course.
“I started cooking healthier meals for my family, including veggies,” wrote one survey respondent. “Some of the changes I've made is that I now look at the unit price, just to make sure I am getting my money's worth,” wrote another student. “Also, I have started taking a grocery list with me so that I can make sure I can stay on budget and not buy things that I do not need.”
These outcomes demonstrate how CFHL, UCCE San Mateo County is contributing to UC ANR's public value of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians. When asked about the impact these virtual classes have had on students' lives, the feedback from JobTrain's instructors has been overwhelmingly positive. In addition to increasing food resource management, instructors noted how much students look forward to classes, how they benefit from incorporating new healthy practices, and that learning more about healthy living helps bolster education for students entering the healthcare field.
Attached Images:
