Nutrient Intake of Extension Homemakers

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship of certain demographic factors to dietary intake of participants in the Brookings County Extension Homemakers\u27 program. Specific questions to be addressed were: 1. With the availability of knowledge, what are the actual food practices or food habits of women involved in nutrition adult education programs on a regular basis? 2. When their diets are analyzed for selected essential nutrients, will their nutrient intake meet the RDA? 3. What, if any, is the relationship between selected demographic factors and the percent of the RDA for nutrients in their diets? 4. Will existing problems within the family be related to their dietary intake? 5. Will contact mass media and other printed material be related to their dietary intake? 6. Will the actual information programs they have attended within the last year make a difference in their food selection? 7. With motivation known as a key ingredient in helping people to improve their dietary status, will interest in nutrition and interest in new food preparation ideas be the central factor in the quality of the diet? At this time no formal study exists to determine the nutrition education needs of a group like Extension Homemakers who are interested in long-term home economics education. Before those needs can be determined home economists working in Extension Service should have a realistic picture of the current dietary practices and how demographic factors relate to those practices. This study will provide baseline data that can be used for determining future Cooperative Extension Service programs in nutrition in Brookings County. Because of the particular group targeted for the study and their location, care must be taken in projecting the results of this study to other communities. However, the format of this study can serve as a model for other communities in South Dakota. Every Extension Agent/Home Economics has access to the AGNET Computer System and could conduct a similar study in the local community