The expanded food & nutrition education program (EFNEP) is designed to help families and youth gain knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for preparing healthy diets

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Prairie View A&M University $293,521 under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (CFDA 10.514) on October 1, 2025.

Prairie View A&M University will deliver nutrition education to low-income families and youth across Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller Counties in Texas through Nutrition Education Associates using USDA research-based curricula. The program covers four core areas: diet quality and physical activity, food resource management, food safety, and food security. For grades 3 through 5, the university will teach the Choose Health: Food, Fun and Fitness curriculum, a comprehensive six-lesson program developed by Cornell University's Division of Nutritional Sciences and Cornell Cooperative Extension's 4-H Youth Development Program, delivered through experiential learning to promote healthy eating and active play. For adult participants, Nutrition Education Associates will teach the Eating Smart Being Active curriculum, developed by Colorado State University Extension and University of California Davis. Programming takes place in communities where participants live, using various teaching methods and approved curriculum materials to build knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for preparing healthy diets.

The award period runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. Work is performed in Prairie View, Texas.

EFNEP supports the personal development of youth and the improvement of family diet and nutritional well-being. Prairie view a & M university has selected fort bend, harris, and waller counties for program implementation. The staff will provide quality nutritional education to groups identified and recruited in these counties. Successes and changes among participants will result from the use of various teaching methods, approved curriculum materials, and by meeting groups in communities where they live. The four program core areas-diet quality/physical activity, food resource management, food safety, and food security- will be covered in curriculum materials during implementation to improve the overall health and well being of individuals who attend the education workshops. Prairie view a & M university EFNEP nutrition education associates (NEA) deliver programs using USDA research-based curriculums. The expanded food nutrition education program provides nutrition education to grades 3 through 5 using the choose health: food, fun and fitness curriculum. Choose health food, fun, and fitness is a comprehensive nutrition and fitness curriculum with six hands-on lessons. Developed by cornell university's division of nutritional sciences in partnership with cornell cooperative extension's 4-H youth development program, chfff will be taught through experiential learning to promote healthy eating and active play, targeting behaviors research shows are most important for preventing childhood obesity and chronic diseases. EFNEP neas teach adult participants using the eating smart being active curriculum developed by colorado state university extension and university of california davis. This comprehensive nutrition education curriculum focuses on paraprofessional educators and program participants. The curriculum features nine lessons and various teaching tools and materials to support lesson facilitation in addition to the four core elements required for programming. The updated curriculum places greater emphasis on food preparation rather than only 'taste testing' during demonstrations. EFNEP's pregnant adults and teens are taught using eating smart being active during pregnancy, a curriculum developed by colorado state university that includes maternal and infant nutrition lessons as a supplement to the core nine lessons. Eating smart and being active during pregnancy lessons are designed to be taught EA RLY in pregnancy and cover topics such as seeing a healthcare provider regularly, eating healthy and staying active during pregnancy, and managing common pregnancy discomforts. EFNEP workshops will include homemakers or individuals with children living in the hous ehold in urban and rural areas who are responsible for planning and preparing family meals. Programming will also be offered to youth living in urban and rural areas. EFNEP will continue to teach youth and adults through hands-on and interactive learning to promote healthy eating and active play, targeting behaviors that research shows are most important for preventing obesity and chronic diseases in children and adults.