Social media as a tool to promote fresh fruit and vegetable intake in the

Braidwood, IL community AUTHOR

Dylis-Judith Mensah, MS Nutrition & Dietetic Internship

RESULTS
INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW
Which nutrition education content did you prefer the most

More than 500 local families need supplemental food assistance Obesity is an epidemic plaguing the world today. Research and

from Food and Micro Pantries monthly. Braidwood school district implementation of many interventions and programs have been on-going,

however, they still no solid treatment for the canker. Obesity occurs when
provides free or reduced lunches to approximately 41% of their
there is an excessive accumulation of fat. It can also be described as a
students. The Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) 2020 School report on
disease state which occurs when energy intake outweighs energy expenditure
Reed- Custer Middle School, Braidwood data revealed that only
1–4.
less than half (i.e., 42%) and only 17% of 8th grade youth ate fruit 2
Undeniably, the proliferation of convenient foods which are highly energy
or more times or vegetables 3 or more times per day with a week,
dense, filled with high amount of fat, added sugar, chemical additives, and

respectively. About 15% of them often went hungry due to

sodium with low or no micronutrients and fiber propels this obesity epidemic5.

household food insecurity. In a similar report, 20% of 10th grade In the US, according to the CDC (2021), in 2017–2018, the age-adjusted

youth often went hungry. Almost 70% of 10th grade youth did not prevalence of obesity in adults was 42.4%, and there were no significant

eat more than two fruits and only 11% ate 3 or more vegetables a differences between men and women among all adults or by age group”. In

During the past 7 days, how many times did you eat fruits?
day per week. 27% (12th grade youth) and only 6% of 12th grade this same time period theprevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% to

9.2%. The number of states with high rates of obesity have nearly doubled
youth ate fruit 2 or more times or vegetables 3 or more times per
over the past two years.6
day with a week, respectively. Further compounding the above issue
Further compounding, obesity is the morbidities associated with it. The high
of poor nutrition behavior among the youth in Braidwood is the
prevalence of obesity and increased health risks it poses for dozens of
canker, obesity. About 48% (almost a half) of the youth in
chronic health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes,
Braidwood were considered obese in 2020. During the past 7 days, how many times did you eat vegetables?
joint disease, and certain cancers7. Additionally, these have a high economic
The data above indicates the need for nutrition education on
impact—obesity’s annual medical cost is an estimated $149.4 billion8

malnutrition and the utilization of community resources to combat Many research studies prove that higher levels of fruit and vegetable

household insecurity. consumption were associated with lower levels of body adiposity. Fruits and

vegetables are rich in a variety of micronutrients—minerals, and vitamins. They

PURPOSE
are naturally low in fats and calories and rich in antioxidants and

phytonutrients which are inversely associated with obesity7,9

This project was done in conjunction with Braidwood Area Healthy

Studies have shown that social media produces positive outcomes when used
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
as a tool for nutrition intervention.10,11
Community Coalition (BAHCC). The goal of this project was to
By the end of the project more than 30% and 21. %of the participants’ consumption
provide nutrition education to increase the intake of fruits and
METHODOLOGY of fruits and vegetables increased to more than 4 times + / week respectively.
vegetables among the youth by creating awareness about the
The recipe cards and cooking video was the most preferred. More than of the
BAHCC community garden and its fresh produce options.
participants said that on average they felt their consumption of fruits and
The BAHCC Facebook page was the medium used to disseminate every tool

vegetables has more than doubled during the 6 months period.

used in this project (survey, recipe cards, blogs, cooking videos, and flyers). A

OBJECTIVES survey was conducted prior to the start of postings. After a 6-month period,

More than half of the participants mentioned they spend less than 2 hours per day
a second survey was conducted to evaluate fruit and vegetable intake and
The specific objectives were to: on Facebook. Another medium could have boosted publicity.
awareness of the BAHCC garden. A total of 3 blogs, 6 recipe cards including
·Evaluate the awareness of fruits and vegetables The number of participants for pre-and post- was not the same. It is hard to tell if
a flyer, and 5 cooking videos were broadcasted on the Facebook page
among citizens of Braidwood through a survey to the participants who filled the pre-test survey returned to take e the post- survey.
across the 6-month period. Anyone who had access to the BAHCC page
pre-test knowledge
qualified to be a participant.
Liaising with BAHCC to provide nutrition education From this project, it may be safe to conclude that social media can be an effective
No costs needing reimbursement were associated with this project. There
by creating awareness of the Garden Project through tool for nutrition education to promote the intake of fruits and vegetables.
was no institutional review needed.
450-500 words-long blogs highlighting the
produce from BAHCC Garden 1. Fanzo, J. et al. Sustainable food systems and nutrition in the 21st century: a report from the 22nd annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium. The American Journal of Clinical
REFERENCES
8. Kim, D. D. & Basu, A. Estimating the Medical Care Costs of Obesity in the United States: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Empirical Analysis. Value Health 19, 602–

Recipe flyers/ cards; and Nutrition 115, 18–33 (2022).

2. Weight Loss Programs: Impact on the Obesity Epidemic. https://lair.lr.edu/handle/20.500.12862/58.

613 (2016).

9. Yu, Z. M. et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and body adiposity among populations in Eastern Canada: the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health Study. BMJ Open 8,

Cooking videos
3. James, W. P. T. & Gill, T. Obesity – Introduction. Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children 1–16 (2022) doi:10.1002/9781119695257.CH1. e018060 (2018).

4. Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children. Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children (2022) doi:10.1002/9781119695257. 10. Chau, M. M., Burgermaster, M. & Mamykina, L. The use of social media in nutrition interventions for adolescents and young adults—A systematic review. Int J Med Inform

5. Singh S, A., Dhanasekaran, D., Ganamurali, N., L, P. & Sabarathinam, S. Junk food-induced obesity- a growing threat to youngsters during the pandemic. Obesity Medicine 26, 120, 77 (2018).
N O T E : I N O R D E R T O A C H I E V E T H I S P R O J E C T , I W O R K E D W I T H A N O T H E R IN T E R N W H O W O R K E D O N C O M IN G U P W IT H T H E R EC I P ES A ND M A K I NG T HE C O O K I NG 100364 (2021). 11. Tobey, L. N. & Manore, M. M. Social media and nutrition education: the food hero experience. J Nutr Educ Behav 46, 128–133 (2014).
VIDEOS.
I W A S R E S P O N S I B L E F O R C R E A T I N G T H E S U R V E Y ( P R E - A N D P O ST ) , C R E A T IN G A L L T H E F L Y E R S A N D R E C IP E C A R D S, W R I T I NG T HE B L O G S . 6. Rosenthal, R. J. et al. Obesity in America. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases 13, 1643–1650 (2017). 12. Illinois Center for Prevention Research and Development & Illinois Department of Human Services (2020). Illinois Youth Survey School report. Braidwood Reed-Custer

7. Wang, X. et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of Middle School.

prospective cohort studies. BMJ 349, (2014). 13. Illinois Center for Prevention Research and Development & Illinois Department of Human Services (2020
Some examples of nutrition education materials posted over the 6-month period