Many nutrition issues plague adults, youths, and children in delaware

These include obesity, food insecurity, and food safety, among others. According to the delaware department of public health, in 2021, 33.9 percent of delaware adults reported being obese, and another 34.9 percent reported bmis considered 'overweight' - more than the recommended weight levels, but not obese. Furthermore, nutritional habits in delaware highlight disparities, particularly among low income individuals. While 48.23% of low-income adults consume fruits, only 29.99% consume adequate vegetable servings. The EFNEP (expanded food and nutrition education program) initiatives aim to address these challenges by focusing on education and behavior change in nutrition and physical activity. Partnerships with local institutions, including delaware state university and the university of delaware, facilitate these efforts, especially in kent county, where 12.9% of the population lives in poverty. Moreover, in delaware, 99,530 people are facing hunger - and of them, 30,040 are children, with 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 7 children facing hunger. Overall, 12.6% of delawareans are food insecure, with a higher prevalence among racial minorities, low-income households, and people with chronic diseases. Therefore, strategies must be put in place to mitigate the impact of these pressing issues faced by residents of delaware. Delaware state expanded food and nutrition education program (DSU-EFNEP) seeks to help 1) families with young children, 2) youth/children (grade range - kindergarten through 12TH grade), and young adults with limited financial resources to alleviate these problems by using evidence-based nutrition education, along with policy systems, and environmental interventions to improve the health behaviors. All efforts will focus on USDA -nifa EFNEP priority areas, including priority #1, improvement in one or more food groups; priority #2, increase in the amount and frequency of physical activity; priority #3, improve food safety practices; priority #4, improvement of food security; priority #5 increase youth nutritional knowledge and behaviors; priority #6 increase levels of youth physical activity. Our target audience will consist of families, i.e., mothers, pregnant teens, adult caregivers of young children, and youths between the ages of 5-15. We will utilize direct education methodology using the evidence-based curriculum to teach nutrition education to our target audience over a 6-8-week period. Innovative strategies such as social marketing, including weekly 'nutrition nudges' via text and email, will support behavior change by reinforcing knowledge and promoting healthy practices. Policy, systems, and environment (PSE) strategies will also be employed to create supportive nutrition environments in participating organizations, enhancing the availability of healthy food options and encouraging physical activity. Moreover, we also seek to implement environmental changes at our partnership sites through our PSE effort. The DSU-EFNEP plan focuses on accomplishing each priority by collaborating with various community partners, including schools, community centers, state agencies, churches, shelters, headstart, and public housing.