FINAL REPORT : EVALUATION OF NUTRITION PLANNING WORKSHOPS

RESPONSES FROM THE MAIL SURVEY AND INTERVIEWS YIELD THE CONCLUSION THAT ATTITUDINAL AND COGNITIVE IMPACTS WERE ACHIEVED FOR APPROXIMATELY 75% OF THE PARTICIPANTS. MAIL RETURNS INDICATED THAT 67% OF THE PARTICIPANTS ACTED ON THE INFORMATION AND INSIGHTS THEY RECEIVED. WRITTEN AND INTERVIEW DATA SHOW THAT THE ACTIONS RANGED FROM SIMPLY ADVOCATING NUTRITION CONCEPTS AMONG COLLEAGUES THROUGH TEACHING COURSES AND CHANGING PERSONAL PRACTICES TO PREPARING NATIONAL PLANS AND NEW PROGRAMS. ALTHOUGH IT IS RARELY POSSIBLE TO ATTRIBUTE ORGANIZATIONAL AND NATIONAL IMPACT TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR TO A BRIEF FACET OF THEIR EXPERIENCE, IT WAS CLEAR THAT IN SOME CASES THE WORKSHOPS MADE A SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCE TO CRITICAL INDIVIDUALS AND IN OTHER CASES THEY REINFORCED OTHER EXPERIENCES AND PRESSURES TO WHICH PARTICIPANTS HAD BEEN EXPOSED. IN SPITE OF THE INDICATIONS OF IMPACT, MOST PARTICIPANTS FELT THAT EVEN MORE COULD HAVE BEEN GAINED. THEY FELT THAT THE HIGHLY STRUCTURED AND LARGELY THEORETICAL NATURE OF THE WORKSHOP SHOULD BE CHANGED AND THEY INDICATED THAT MORE BENEFIT WOULD HAVE BEEN DERIVED IF A VARIETY OF LEARNING TECHNIQUES HAD BEEN USED. IN SUMARRY, WHAT EMERGED FROM THE MAIL SURVEY AND COUNTRY VISITS IS A SENSE THAT THE TIME HAS COME FOR A COMPREHENSIVE, SYSTEMS-ORIENTED APPROACH TO THE PLANNING OF NUTRITION TRAINING. THE EVALUATORS MADE SEVEN RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDING THAT THE WORKSHOPS BE MODIFIED AND CONTINUED.