This program is designed to conduct research and training to determine the appropriate educational level and methodologies needed to develop a food sanitation certification program. The program is designed to provide training for low literacy and hard-to-reach food handlers in the District of Columbia to gain national certification as food protection handlers/managers.  This certification program will enable the local Department of Health to comply with the 2001 Federal Food Code, which recommends standards for regulations of the District’s food service operations. The project is also designed to develop a model program for the District of Columbia and national-wide replication. Improvement of food handler’s behaviors and food handling practices that directly relate to food-borne illnesses will serve to deter the incidence of this critical health threat.  It will also improve the confidence of stakeholders and consumers, and ensure the health of an international audience of customers coming and going in the Nation’s Capital as well as residents in the metropolitan Washington area.

Determinants of Childhood Obesity

This research grant is designed to provide the research team with funds to fully develop the "Determinants to Childhood Obesity Research Project proposal for funding; to develop partnerships with other universities skilled in childhood obesity research in minority populations; to recruit leading scientists in the field of childhood obesity to join the research team; to develop written letters of agreements with scientists and appropriate agencies where the work will be conducted;  and to allow the research team to gain additional expertise in childhood obesity through attendance at conferences, externships, collecting, etc.

Food Stamp Nutrition Education Family Nutrition Program

The Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program is designed to improve the health and well being of District residents.  The Program collaborators include the DC Departments of Social Services, Income Maintenance Administration; D.C. Department of Health, Nutrition Programs Administration; The Cooperative Extension Service, Center for Nutrition, Diet and Health; and the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Services. The overall goal of the program is to provide nutrition education to food stamp recipients and food stamp eligible recipients in the District of Columbia. Evidence and science-based nutrition education to improve dietary behavior is expected to improve health and help reduce the tremendous cost of health care in the District of Columbia. The core elements of the Program are: Dietary Quality, Shopping Behavior/Food Resource Management, Food Security, and Food Safety. The Dietary Quality includes nutrition education in health and disease; Shopping Behavior/ Food Resource Management includes thrifty shopping, reading labels, nutritional value, menu planning, and basic cooking; Food Security includes access to an adequate supply of nutritious and safe foods; and Food Safety includes how food is handled, hand washing, refrigeration, storage temperatures, and cooking food properly.

DC Drinking Water Blind Taste Testing Project

Water is an important constituent of the body. The human body is approximately 60-70% water and 30% solids. Water is one of the six key nutrients. Water provides an aqueous medium for cellular metabolism, transports materials to and from cells, acts as a solvent, regulates body temperature, maintains vascular blood volume, aids in the digestion of food, maintains the chemical and physical constancy of intracellular and extra-cellular fluids, and aids in the excretion of waste from the body.

The District of Columbia Double Blind Drinking Water Taste Testing Research Project is designed to determine the comfort level, water intakes, and types of water consumed by   residents and employees of the District of Columbia. The water taste samples consist of several different drinking waters. The project is conducted at sites through the city.

Cultural, Psychological and Environmental Barriers to Maintaining a Healthy Diet in Inner City African American Males and Prostate Cancer

In this qualitative research study, Cultural Psychological, and Environmental Barriers to Maintaining a Healthy Diet in Inner City African Americans Research Project, 12 community-based focus groups, each consisting of 6-8 African American adult men or women who are residents of District of Columbia (DC), will discuss their barriers to a healthy diet and preferences for dietary interventions.  The specific aims of this study are to: 1) Describe social, cultural, knowledge, and environmental barriers to adopting a healthy diet that is high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats in African Americans, and 2) Identify community-based educational strategies that are likely to increase African Americans’ knowledge and skills about healthy food choice and to motivate them to improve their dietary patterns. The overall goals of this project are to describe African Americans’ barriers to adopting a healthy diet and explore African American’s preferred dietary educational programs.  To accomplish this goal, we will recruit 72-96 adult African American men and women 25-55 years of age from communities in District of Columbia (DC) to participate 12 focus groups (each consisting of 6-8 people). Focus group assignment will base on age (25-40 vs. 41-55 years old) and gender; three focus groups will be conducted in each of the four age-gender strata.  The PRECEDE framework and the Social Cognitive Theory will be used to guide the design of focus group questions and the analyses of focus group data.

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