INTERNSHIP
Here is a little bit about the internship that I was involved with during my last semester as an undergraduate at Chico State.
Center for Healthy Communities (CHC)
CHC Mission:
To envision healthy, connected, and empowered communities. CHC is a leader in nutrition education, food security, and physical activity programs and policies addressing the needs of diverse populations locally, regionally, and internationally. CHC provides the infrastructure and coordination of shared resources for interdisciplinary student-faculty-staff research and opportunities for civic engagement and service.
My involvement:
I was involved with the Foodie U: Mindful Eating in School Children pilot study, the Kids Farmers Markets, and nutrition lessons throughout Butte County serving 3rd through 12th graders.
Foodie U: Mindful Eating in School Children
Pilot Study
I was involved with the Foodie U: Mindful Eating in School Children pilot study which was funded by the USDA - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. There are several different areas being studied by graduate students within this one graduate research project, and I was involved in each of them. However, the majority of my focus was spent helping Shannon Pierson with her pilot study mindful eating intervention lessons.
The first area is being studied by Chico State graduate student, Rocio Mendez (pictured on the left). She is looking at cultural influences on Mindful Eating Among Parents of Elementary School Children. She conducts focus groups with parents of elementary students to understand socio-cultural perceptions of mindful eating among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white parents.
The second area is being studied by Chico State graduate student, Jennifer Joyce (pictured on the right). She is looking at factors associated with Mindful Eating Behaviors Among Elementary School Children. This cross sectional baseline study will investigate behaviors including food consumption, demographics, mindful eating, and emotional eating.
The third area is being studied by Chico State graduate student, Shannon Pierson (pictured in the middle in the above photo). She is looking at the impacts of a Mindful Eating intervention among elementary school children on healthy food-related behaviors and mindful eating practices. Her curriculum development and implementation of a pilot mindful eating intervention will promote mindful eating practices and healthy food-related behaviors among elementary school children and their families. The post-test will assess the effectiveness of the curriculum on children's mindful eating practices, food related behaviors, and food intake. The role of ethnicity and family will also be examined when assessing intervention outcomes.
The fourth area is being studied by Chico State graduate student, Alyson Wylie (pictured on the left) who is also my internship supervisor. She is looking at Mindful Eating in the classroom and at home. She will use teacher surveys to asses, from a teacher's perspective, if families are able and willing to adopt mindful eating practices at home based on information and materials provided via lessons taught in school. Additionally, data will be collected regarding teachers' willingness to incorporate the mindful eating curriculum into their classroom activities and their level of support for the lessons being taught.
Above is a picture of me assisting with one of the Foodie U: Mindful Eating in School Children intervention lessons about emotions and how they relate to eating mindfully. The poster is a representation of what our body, mind, and emotions need in order for us to be happy and healthy. The other picture on the right was from another one of the other intervention lessons about seeds, how seeds become what we eat, and how the things we eat get to us. The picture shows the special day classes' "Seed Necklace" activity transplanted into their own cups so each student can watch their seed grow.
Kids Farmers Market
Besides the Foodie U research project, I also assisted with nutrition lessons for high schoolers and helped with the Kids Farmers Markets at various schools throughout Butte County.
The Kids Farmers Market begins with each student receiving $5 (of fake money) and a reusable bag to buy potatoes, carrots, onions, apples, oranges, and other fresh produce to take home to their families. CHC has been putting on these weekly markets for about 200 students per market since May 2014. Alyson Wylie, my supervisor, stated that CHC has "created a student-focused market to teach them about the benefits of selecting fruits and veggies...and it's a very important learning experience, given all the fast food advertising competing for their attention." These markets are for low-income and low-access communities, such as Oroville, which means that the majority of residents live farther than one mile away from a market or grocery store.
Above is a picture of Miracle and I (both interns at CHC), taking a minute to appreciate the beautiful oranges provided by the Oroville Food Pantry for the Kids Farmers Market at Los Molinos Elementary. This particular market served pre-k through 8th graders, and the Los Molinos High Schoolers came as well to grab some food and help clean up once the market was over. No matter what school the Kids Farmers Market has been incorporated into, it has always been very successful.