2005 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? The Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) area of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi is characterized by high rates of poverty, low educational attainment, and food insecurity. There is a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, anemia, and heart disease, all of which are influenced by nutrition. We are attempting to resolve these problems through the efforts of the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (Delta NIRI). The Delta NIRI Consortium consists of the original partners: scientists from Alcorn State University, Alcorn State, MS (ASU); Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, AR (ACHRI); Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA (PBRC); Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA (SU); The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, AR (UAPB); The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (USM); and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of USDA, Little Rock, AR. The Delta NIRI Consortium also now includes representatives from the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service; the College of Public Health of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR; a private researcher, Jackson, MS; and members from the Delta communities of Marvell, AR; Hollandale, MS; and Franklin Parish, LA. The ARS has initiated agreements with other scientists with needed expertise for specific research requirements. For example, the Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) in Houston is collaborating with a Baylor College of Medicine scientist that has nutrition epidemiology skills, and the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston is providing expertise on the development of an original adult food frequency questionnaire. These scientists, Extension, and community members participate fully in the Delta NIRI Consortium. The Consortium is diverse in its composition: including minorities, many research disciplines (nutrition, food science, family economics, sociology, medicine, community development, community grass root, agriculture, etc.), and a variety of professionals (nutritionists, pediatricians, nurses, food scientists, sociologists, agriculture economists, etc.). This diversity is necessary because of the complexity of the food concerns, poverty, isolation, and low educational attainment in parts of the Delta region. The Delta NIRI Consortium is evaluating the nutritional health in the LMD, to identify nutritionally responsive problems, and to design and evaluate interventions using a community participatory research model. Use of this model will promote capacity-building and sustainability at the community level. Lessons learned about successful intervention approaches will be disseminated in order to facilitate implementation on a larger scale in similar areas of the United States. Rates of rural poverty and nutrition-related chronic diseases in the LMD are among the Nation's highest. Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana traditionally rank at or near the bottom in health rankings of the United States and continue to worsen compared with other states. Food insecurity, adult and child obesity, and high blood pressure and diabetes among adults are higher in each of these states than for the national average. The area is underserved by food and nutrition and other health professionals, thus the burden of food-related health problems is carried by minority, low-income, and educationally disadvantaged individuals and families in the Delta communities. The presence of these problems severely limits the quality of life, productivity, and the future of this rural, at-risk population, while propelling them into the high-user category for nutrition assistance programs and high-cost health care and treatment of nutrition-related disease. The Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative falls under the National Program 107 - Human Nutrition, and addresses established performance goals through developing and transferring effective nutrition intervention strategies. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Year 1 (2004) Establish a cooperative partnership with Marvell NIRI consortium partners. Support Marvell NIRI in coordinating, assisting, designing, organizing, conducting, interpreting, and evaluating community participatory based nutritional interventions in Marvell, AR. Year 2 (2005) Develop nutrition interventions in Marvell, AR, through community-based participatory research (CBPR):. 1)Establish Community Groups and Research Teams.. 2)Identify community-specific nutritional problems/concerns.. 3)Identify community resources/environmental conditions. Year 3 (2006) Design the nutrition intervention research for Marvell, AR, using Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation (CPPE):. 1)Evaluate proposed intervention strategies.. 2)Develop community-specific research plans/protocols.. 3)Modify and develop new data collection instruments. Implement and evaluate nutrition intervention strategies in Marvell, AR:. 1)Complete training on data collection/intervention strategies.. 2)Pre-test data collection instruments/procedures.. 3)Complete operational plan/research protocol.. 4)Implement community-specific nutrition interventions. 4a.What was the single most significant accomplishment this past year? MARVELL NIRI OFFICE FULLY STAFFED Since the initial opening of the Marvell NIRI office in 2004, additional office support has been needed for this growing initiative. The Marvell NIRI, through support from the Lower Mississippi Delta NIRI, Little Rock, AR, has hired two staff members that include a Community Outreach Assistant and part time clerical support, thereby representing a major accomplishment of having this grass roots initiative at a level of hiring employees. Because the twelve unincorporated surrounding communities that make up the Marvell NIRI community are vastly scattered, this accomplishment afforded the Marvell NIRI office an opportunity to actively recruit individuals from each of the twelve communities. This full support staff is now able to provide direct community outreach services to those who are apathetic about getting involved in new community projects and those who do not have transportation, and will further increase the active membership and intervention volunteers of the Marvell NIRI organization. 4b.List other significant accomplishments, if any. NUTRITION/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTED IN MARVELL, AR Rural regions in the lower Mississippi delta region are prevalent with high rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, and a intervention is needed to alleviate these chronic health concerns. With the assistance of the Marvell NIRI staff, the Marvell NIRI support by the Lower Mississippi Delta NIRI, Little Rock, AR, initiated a comprehensive nutrition and physical activity intervention to be implemented in the community. This is important since the intervention is designed to improve the nutritional health of the residents in Marvell, AR, and twelve (12) unincorporated communities. The Marvell NIRI, in collaboration with researchers at the Lower Mississippi Delta NIRI and Delta NIRI cooperators (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension) designed, developed, and have initiated multiple nutrition and physical activity interventions including: a) walking club; b) walking trail; c) school-based intervention; and d) food preparation using modified recipes. The potential impact of these interventions would lead to healthier lifestyles of Marvell residents, reducing the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic health diseases, as well as serving as a model for implementing successful interventions in other like communities. INTERVENTION GROUPS DETERMINE FUTURE OF MARVELL NIRI STUDY Nutritional and physical activity interventions are needed in the Marvell community to alleviate the chronic health concerns that exist in this rural town of three thousand. The Marvell NIRI through the support of the Lower Mississippi Delta NIRI, Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Arkansas Cooperative Extension, has organized seven service nutrition intervention groups: . 1)Healthy Eating/Food Demonstration; . 2)Walking Trail Focus Group;. 3)The Garden of EDEN Community Garden; . 4)Walking Club; . 5)The Summer Day Camp; . 6)Worksite Intervention; . 7)School Base-Intervention and three research groups. The community has also organized three research teams and is composed of community members and representatives from the partnering institutions. The Walking Club has 62 members and meets monthly for a breakfast, serving as a training opportunity. Intervention strategies were designed specially to address health issues that were related to nutritional problems identified by the Marvell community, and future studies will provide evidence of their successfulness and sustainability. 4c.List any significant activities that support special target populations. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. The implementations of service projects prior to research projects have made the community more receptive to the goals of the NIRI initiative and willing to participate. Marvell NIRI has established an administrative and program office in the Marvell community and utilizes a Cooperative Extension Community Coordinator as the lead staff person. Two additional staff members were hired in 2005 (Community Outreach Assistant and a clerical person). This will allow for community outreach services. Training is being provided to the community. Technology equipment has been purchased which will allow the organization to better document its research. A walking club intervention was organized and has 60 members that meet once a month. The Healthy Eating/Food Demonstration intervention group organized committees to sponsor community tasting events. Dishes were selected from the DASH Eating Plan and presented to the community along with recipes. The potential impact of these accomplishments will lead to healthier lifestyles of Marvell residents, reducing the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and other chronic health diseases, as well as serving as a model for implementing successful interventions in other communities. Marvell NIRI has organized seven service nutrition intervention groups: . 1)Healthy Eating/Food Demonstration; . 2)Walking Trail Focus Group;. 3)The Garden of EDEN Community Garden; . 4)Walking Club; . 5)The Summer Day Camp; . 6)Worksite Intervention; . 7)School Base-Intervention and three research groups. The community has also organized three research teams. These groups are made up of community members and representatives from the partnering institutions. The Walking Club has 62 members. The group meets monthly for a breakfast. The breakfast is utilized as a training opportunity. Intervention strategies were designed specially to address health issues that were related to nutritional problems identified by the Marvell community. These groups meet approximately two to three times a month to share ideas and opinions and to provide training. The Marvell NIRI is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and uses this mechanism to gain full support of the entire community, and to motivate participation from all segments of the community and support for sustainability. All accomplishments made under this project are fully consistent with relevant milestones listed in the Project Plan, and with the relevant research components as defined in the National Program 107 Action Plans performance goals through developing and transferring effective nutrition intervention strategies. Accomplishments under this project contribute to the achievement of ARS Strategic Plan Goal 4, Objective 1, Performance Measure 1, in that project accomplishments contribute substantially to attainment of the Agency FY 2007 target of executing and reporting nutritional interventions. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? None. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. (NOTE: List your peer reviewed publications below). Gardens Blooming in Delta town: Eden project hopes to spread healthy diet to poorer sections of State. Arkansas Democrat Gazette, June 1, 2005.