2008 WIC Special Project Grants

Project Title: Revitalizing Nutrition Education through VENA: Skill Building for Cultural and Linguistic Competence

State Agency: Maine

Summary: This project will test an approach and model for continuous skill building in cultural and linguistic competence to improve staff and organizational performance in providing VENA. Enhancing the value of nutrition assessment can logically be linked to equity in health outcomes for all WIC participants – a key strategy to eliminate health disparities is to build cultural and linguistic competence. The skill building encompasses four interrelated elements: Stakeholder Engagement, Awareness Training, Reflection and Mentoring, and Organizational Policy Assessment and Development. The project will examine whether specific cultural and linguistic competence are practiced by staff and the state and local agency organizations, and if the skill building elements improved nutrition assessment as measured by staff changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills, client satisfaction, and organizational policy and environmental change. Knowledge gained as a result of this project will be transferred by disseminating the approach and model through presentations at state, regional and national professional meetings, web sites, and written reports and articles as warranted.