EFNEP in Escambia
Adult Audience
Escambia County, located in the western part of Florida's panhandle, has a population of 326,928. Among them, 21% are under the age of 18. The county faces several challenges: 16% of its residents live in poverty, 36% are overweight, and 28% are obese. The area has 49 Title I Schools and 18 private schools where students receive free breakfast and lunch. Poor eating habits are reported by 38% of the population, and 14% lack food security. In 2023, 40,300 residents were food insecure, with 84% consuming fewer than five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Program Outcomes
By using nutrition educators in local community group settings, Adult EFNEP aids limited-resource families in acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and behaviors necessary to improve their diets and overall well-being.
Youth audience
Of the 40,000 plus students in the Escambia County Public School System, many living in poverty have nutritionally deficient diets and are poor achievers with low self-esteem lacking the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to make nutritiously sound food choices. Nutritional deficiencies are linked with increased risk of overweight and obesity, one of the leading causes of chronic disease. It is difficult to practice good nutrition habits when funds for food are limited. This negatively influences children’s readiness to learn and their overall achievement.
Program Outcomes
Education is provided to limited-resource young people age 5-18 with a practical, hands-on approach to nutrition and food preparation using the “Learn -by-Doing” concept.
Programs Offered
-
Adult Programing
Adults
EFNEP offers adult programs, typically nine sessions long and held in a community setting.
Adult programs incorporate relevant nutrition information to help families eat better food for less money. Small group sizes allow EFNEP educators to tailor each class for their audience. Participants connect with one another in hands-on activities and group discussion.
All EFNEP classes include interactive food demonstrations of easy and delicious recipes. Also, each lesson comes with a lesson enhancement and a tool designed to help participants adopt a healthy lifestyle.
-
Youth Programing
Youth
Youth programs include children 5-18 years and pregnant teens at eligible community sites.
County's Impact 2023
Contact
- Phone: (850) 475-5230
- Website:
http://escambia.ifas.ufl.edu - Address:
3740 Stefani Road, Cantonment, FL 32533
Wendy Meredith