Enhancing Health and Nutrition Literacy in the Virtual Environment: Bidirectional Partnership with a Multidisciplinary Community Based Organization

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Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8 have significant health disparities compared with other sectors of the city. The health outcome inequities are related to social determinants including systemic racism, food insecurity and lack of healthy food access. The Georgetown Department of Family Medicine Community Health Division partnered with National Children’s Center, a multidisciplinary early childhood education center that provides services to families of children with developmental disabilities and developmental delay, to create a virtual nutritional health literacy program to complement the Center’s urban gardening initiative. This program expands families’ nutritional competency and supports accessible and healthy eating through exploring the intersection between nutrition and body systems. Appropriate food recommendations based on traditional meals were introduced and incorporated in cooking demonstration videos from the center’s Chef that families could replicate at home. Recipes built upon ingredients with cultural connections to families provided examples of accessible and healthy options for home preparation. Sessions were interactive and conducted virtually over Zoom. They included many avenues for family engagement including wellness check-ins, strategies for maintaining healthy eating habits, and importantly encouragement from families to share their experiences and build community.

Authors:

  • Meghan Chin, Junior Research Coordinator, Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • Dr. Kimberly Bullock, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Director of Community Health Division, Georgetown University School of Medicine
  • John DiBello, Student Research Coordinator, Georgetown University School of Medicine