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Objectives Health-related characteristics and habits and food choices of young adults were compared for three groups: college students, college graduates, and nonstudents. Design Subjects completed a mailed survey that included questions about demographics, attitudes, and behaviors and a food frequency questionnaire. Main outcome measures were health-related characteristics and habits and food choices. Subjects Female (n=758) and male (n=580) 18- to 24-year-olds in nine states who were selected randomly by zip code in each state. The response rate averaged 43% for all states. Statistical analyses performed Analysis of variance or χ 2 tests were applied to health-related personal characteristic variables and the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance was applied to food consumption variables for women and men separately. Results According to self-reported heights and weights, female nonstudents were more often overweight than female students or graduates. Nonstudents of both genders reported smoking more often than students or graduates. College students and graduates ate more grain foods high in dietary fiber, more fruits and dark-green vegetables, and more lower-fat milk and meats than non students. Conclusions/applications Non students were at greater health risk for some chronic illnesses, because of poorer health habits and food choices, than were college students and graduates. The behavior of nonstudents implies weaker response to messages promoting weight control, smoking cessation, and observance of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans than behavior exhibited by students or college graduates. Health promotion efforts could be enhanced by identifying demographic, educational, situational, and formative influences on positive health and dietary behaviors of young adults.

A mail survey was developed to determine the behaviors associated with eating vegetables and fruits and if there was a relationship between young adults’ perceptions of vegetables and fruits and relative intake. The survey collected demographic information and used a repertory grid and a food frequency questionnaire. Respondents included 219 males and 289 females. The most frequently eaten vegetables and fruits were orange or grapefruit juice, French fries and fried potatoes, other potatoes, other fruit juice, and green salad. Many of the respondents added fat to cooked vegetables and salads. Few respondents ate vegetables at lunch, dinner, or snack time or fruit for desserts or snacks. Students had fewer behaviors where they added fat to vegetables and salads and were more likely to eat vegetables at lunch and snack time. The factor analyses showed perceptions about vegetables and fruits that included both social and sensory aspects and health aspects. Only perceptions of social and sensory aspects of vegetables and fruits were related to intake. Perceptions of health aspects of vegetables and fruits did not have a consistent or significant relationship with intake. The results suggest that social and sensory aspects of vegetables and fruits may be important messages to include in nutrition education programming for young adults.

Literacy requires information processing skills in addition to the ability to read and write. Estimates of the prevalence of illiteracy in the United States vary according to the criteria used. Economic, social and cultural factors contribute to higher rates of illiteracy in some population subgroups. Tools for quantitative and qualitative measures of literacy skills have been developed. Nutrition education materials are often written at levels that are too difficult for low-literate readers. Educational materials are more effective when they are tailored to the cognitive abilities and learning styles of the intended audience. The readability of a given text can be crudely estimated by several formulas that use sentence length and multi-syllable words to indicate complex syntax and difficult vocabulary. Techniques such as Cloze and signaled stopping provide more direct measures of readability. The Language Experience Approach has been adapted to aid in developing materials for specific low-literate target groups. Examples of existing low-literacy materials and guides for educators interested in developing materials for low-literate audiences are cited. Practical techniques are needed for measuring literacy skills of target clientele and readability of nutrition education materials.

Food Stamp Nutrition Education (FSNE) is an optional component of the Food Stamp Program aimed at improving food choices of program participants. The last decade has seen a dramatic expansion in FSNE, accompanied by increased interest in FSNE evaluation. The Society for Nutrition Education, as a leader in nutrition education research, has worked collaboratively with federal partners to improve FSNE evaluation. This is the first in a 3-part series of papers presented in this issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. The series reviews the issues, priority needs, and opportunities identified through this process; explains our current focus on the development of a brief measure assessing FSNE-relevant dietary behaviors; and describes plans for measurement development.

What is the role of nutrition education in food assistance programs? Nutritionists must give this question serious thought as domestic nutrition policy evolves and as policy decisions are made about the degree of support for nutrition education. Issues of great importance to policy makers and the general public include the growing costs of health care and welfare reform.The major premise of this paper is that nutrition education and food assistance programs are mutually reinforcing intervention strategies and that nutrition education magnifies the effect of food assistance programs for needy families. We are not aware of any comprehensive, scholarly treatment that demonstrates the benefits of nutrition research and education for welfare reform, although assumptions about the benefits of incorporating nutrition education in welfare reform pilot projects appear to be common. Nutrition education is a major feature in the Wisconsin "Work, Not Welfare" county pilot projects.' Local administrators feel that people who are being trained for employment also need help with life skills so that they are healthy and fit for work.The link between children's nutritional status with their cognitive and behavioral development, and even their success in school, has been well documented.' Further, there is evidence that the rather small financial outlays going to school feeding programs are offset by substantial gains in protecting the value of the educational investment." Placing nutrition research and education within a health promotion framework is nothing new.A document produced by USDA in the late 1970s provided a cost-benefit analysis of nutrition research and e d ~ c a t i o n . ~ More recently, additional information has been forthcoming about the potential savings in health care costs conferred by investments in nutrition. In 1992, diet-related diseases consumed a major portion of the nation's health costs, as shown below: $136 billion spent for coronary heart disease in direct health expenditures alone; more than $1 1 billion spent for stroke health care; more than $72 billion spent for cancer treatment, including lost productivity; $20 billion spent annually on diabetes treatment; another $33 billion spent annually on illusionary "quick fix" weight-loss solutions by 65 million Americans."

ROSALIEAMOS,3 NANCY BETTS,4 CONSTANCE GEORGIOU,S SHARON HOERR,6 RAO IVATURI,7 AND JANE VOICHICK 2 lDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, Shantz 309, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721; 2Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Linden Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706; 3Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Ed., 220C Mackay Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; 4202 Ruth Leverton Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0806; SNutrition and Food Management, Milam Hall 108, Oregon State University, Corvalis, Oregon 97331-5103; 6Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1224; 7Department of Home Economics, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana 47809

More than 12% of the US population suffers from hunger. Not-for-profit food distribution organizations, including food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, and other food programs, help provide for the nutritional needs of more than 25 million Americans each year. Because many states do not require licensing or registration, it is difficult to accurately determine the number or types of food assistance programs operating throughout the country. The purpose of this project was to develop a directory and database of not-for-profit food distribution organizations operating in Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. An initial listing of food distribution organizations was obtained from the Division of Family and Children in each state. These lists were then expanded with the aid of food bank member agency lists, input from Cooperative Extension field staff in each county, and a variety of other sources. The resulting master list consisted of nearly 2,500 organizations in the 3 states (Indiana - 1,200, Wisconsin - 800, Iowa - 500). A survey was developed, piloted, and mailed to each of the 2,500 identified organizations. A follow-up post card was mailed 6 weeks later. Surveys were returned at a rate of about 30%. A database was constructed to provide access to the survey data. Organizational, operational, and educational needs information was entered for each responding organization. The names and addresses of nonrespondents were also entered into the database. The database was constructed to permit searching based on a variety of criteria, including: county, city, zip code, organization name, and type of program. A directory of food assistance organizations was also constructed for each of the 3 states. Each directory lists the names and addresses for all survey nonrespondents and the name, address, and general information for all respondents who agreed to be included. The directories and database developed through this project provide a previously unavailable view of the hunger communities in a 3 state area. Additionally, these tools allow food donors to quickly locate recipient organizations, simplify cooperative efforts between organizations, and provide a quick reference for members of the hunger community.

1 Television Bureau of Advertising, Percent Viewing Television, Television Bureau of Advertising, Inc., New York, 1974, p. I. 2 Schramm, W., Aging and mass communication, in Aging and Society, Vol. 2, Aging and the Professions, Riley, M. W., J. W. Riley, Jr. and M. E. Johnson, Eds., 1969, pp. 359-375. 3 Davis, R. H., A Descriptive Study of Television in the Lives of an Elderly Population, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif., 1972. 4 Schalinske, T. F., The Role of Television in the Life of the Aged Person, Ph.D. Thesis, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1968. 5 Manoff, R. K., Potential uses of mass media in nutrition programs, J. Nutr. Ed., 5:125,1973. 6 Anon., Ad effects can alter health habits, Stanford study finds, Adv. Age, 45(No. 49):36,1974. 7 Brent, c., T.V. commercials can teach nutrition, J. Home Econ., 66:21,1974. 8 Robertson, L. S., A. B. Kelley, B. O'Neill, C. Wixon, R. S. Eiswirth and W. Hadon, A controlled study of the effect of television messages on safety belt use, Am. J. Pub. Health, 64: 1071, 1974. 9 Salcedo, R. M., C. W. Scherer, and I. K. Alison, The Low-income Homemaker and Her Food Dollar, Agriculture Communications Research Report 28, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1973. 10 Udry, J. R., L. T. Clark, C. L. Chase and M. Levy, Can mass media advertising increase contraceptive use? Fam. Plan. Perspect., 4:37,1972. 11 Milbrath, J. J., Nutrition Education for Older Americans: Television public service announcements, M.S. Thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 1975, pp. 34-46. 12 Howell, S.c. and M. B. Loeb, Nutrition and aging, a monograph for practitioners, Gerontologist, 9(No. 3):1,1969. 13 Burke, B. S., The dietary history as a tool in research, J. Am. Dietet. Assn., 23:1041,1947. 14 Research Department, personal communication, Leo Burnett Advertising Co., Prudential Plaza, Chicago, Ill. 15 U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutritive Values of Foods, Home and Garden Bulletin No. 72, 1971. 16 Snedecor, G. W. and G. W. Cochran, Sampling from a normally distributed population, in Statistical Methods, 6th ed., The Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 1967, pp. 59-61. 17 Engel, J., personal communication, Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communications, Iowa State University. 18 Blocki, J. R., personal communication, Kraftco Corp., Glenview, Ill. 19 Haskins, J. B., Factual recall as a measure of advertising effectiveness, 1. Adv. Res., 4(No. 1):2, 1964. 20 Howard, J. A. and J. Hulbert, Advertising and the Public Interest, A staff report to the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C., 1973. 21 Bregenzer, R. J., personal communication, A. A. Nielson Co., Northbrook, Ill.

Summary “ligan Stew,” a nutrition, education program consisting of films and supplementary learning materials, was given to 140 fourth-grade students. To evaluate the effectiveness of the method, changes in nutrition knowledge were measured by a written test given before and after the program. In addition, the change in dietary intake of the children were assessed using two 3-day food records. Children who viewed the films and participated in the activities increased their knowledge of nutrition significantly more than did control groups. While only some of the fourth-graders involved improved their diets when compared with controls, it should be noted that these were the children who showed the largest increase in nutrition knowledge. Since the objective of nutrition education is to change dietary intakes in such a way as to improve health, the results are encouraging. The “Mulligan Stew” program is especially valuable to nutrition educators because it is suitable for use on television, in or out of school.

Involvement in public policy can be an exciting but risky business for professional nutritionists. It is safer to keep public pronouncements to a minimum to avoid being misquoted. It was therefore with some trepidation that I accepted an assignment to consult with newspaper reporters as they investigated the Chicago school lunch program. Initially, reporters from the Chicago Tribune contacted the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of WisconsinMadison, and asked that a faculty person be identified who could assist with the design of an investigation of school lunches in the Chicago area and in the interpretation of the results. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the effectiveness of the National School Lunch Program in Chicago by determining the quality of the lunches as served and as eaten. I functioned in the role of a professional nutritionist somewhat geographically removed from the situation. Since I have no professional responsibility in the Chicago area, it was easy for me to be impartial. My contributions were on a voluntary basis. The consultation included giving guidelines for school selection, suggestions for selecting a reliable laboratory for analyzing school lunches, development of standards against which the lunches could be evaluated, and interpretation of the data. The reporters were provided with reprints of published research on the school lunch program, and additional resource people and agencies were identified. The reporters spoke with Chicago school food service administrators and regional USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff about the project. Advance permission to enter the schools, visit school lunch rooms and purchase school lunches was obtained from school administrators.