By Evgeniya Nozdrina

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center held its annual community fair on

Saturday, October 19, 2013 in Colton. Many people showed up with their
whole family with the average attendance at about 2500. Both adults and
children got a chance to have an extensive health screening, part of which
was nutrition counseling. Six dietetic interns from Patton State Hospital pro-
vided nutrition education or various topics. To increase the efficiency of the
diet consulting, there was an interpreter available for Spanish speaking peo-
ple. Children and adults learned about basic principles of healthy diet, weight
loss, cardiac diet, diet for diabetics, practical ways to restrict the sodium
intake, and eating on a budget.
In order to address health issues with chil-
dren, the parents, as well as children were involved in this
educational process. Sadly, many of the children had condi-
tions such as diabetes and hyper tension that is common in
the adult population. With further investigation, educa-
tors found that those conditions run in the family. In many
cases parents did not know how to address these issues
and did not have a clear plan of action in regards to appro-
priate treatment for their children. Nutrition counselors
provided practical tips on how to reduce sodium,
saturated fat, and simple carbohydrate intake.
Many people were sincerely interested in improving their health and asked
many questions. On the other hand, there were some who showed up for
this part of screening without much interest or desire to make certain
changes about their diet.
Overall, this fair was a very organized team process in which nutri-
tion counseling seemed like an efficient and important part of the health
screening process that day. A feeling of sincere gratitude from visitors
was a real indicator of a successful educational process. My fellow interns
and I greatly benefited from our involvement in this experience.
ARROWHEAD REGIONAL
MEDICAL CENTER
11TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY
HEALTH AND SAFETY FAIR
Visual aids used during
nutrition education
Dietetic Interns (left to
right): Corinna Ruf, Julia
Rauter, Angela Dawson
Dietetic Interns (left to
right): Christine Sweeney,
Suzanne Rapsa, Evgeniya