Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Agriculture and Extension Education

Major Professor

Cecil E. Carter Jr

Committee Members

Robert S. Dotson, Nazza Noble

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Tennessee expanded food and nutrition program and homemakers' knowledge of foods and their personal and family characteristics. The study also was designed to determine improvement in the homemakers' knowledge of the four food groups from initial to latest food recall.

The population of this study included Tennessee homemakers enrolled in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Extension Program from the ten original program counties who had participated for at least six months as of October 1971, when the data were collected. The ten original Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program counties in Tennessee were Roane, Hawkins, Putman, Dekalb, Warren, Coffee, Robertson, Davidson, Shelby, and Gibson. The counties were fairly evenly distributed across the state and, at the time of the study, represented approximately 73 percent of the total number of participant families in Tennessee.

The sample included 397 participant families, which represented a 5 percent sample from each of the ten original counties.

The data were collected and recorded from three family record forms available from the county Extension office of the ten original program counties. Computations were made by The University of Tennessee Computing Center.

A contingency table analysis program was used to determine the relationship between knowledge of food needed for good health and each of the 24 independent variables. The program computed two-way tables consisting of column, row, and entire table percentages and frequencies. The statistical output of this program included chi square with degrees of freedom.

Major findings of this study were:

1. Increases in knowledge of food in the milk, meat, bread/cereals groups from first to latest recall were greater among those of rural residence than among those of farm residence. For the fruit-vegetable food group increase in knowledge was greater among farm residents.

2. Increases in knowledge of food in the meat, fruit/vegetables and bread/cereals groups were greater among white; while the black had the largest increase in knowledge of the value of the milk food group.

3. Increase in knowledge of food in the milk group from first to latest recall was greater among those in the 35-64 years of age group; while the under 35 years age group had a slightly greater increase in knowledge of food in the meat group. The 65 years and over age group had increases in knowledge of food in both bread/cereals and fruit/ vegetables groups.

4. Increases in knowledge of milk, meat, bread/cereals, and fruit/ vegetables groups from first to latest recall were greater among those with less than eight years formal education than among those with eight and over years of formal education.

5. Increases in knowledge of food in meat, bread/cereals, and fruit/vegetable groups from first to latest recall were greater among those with two or more years on the program than among those with less than two years on the program. The milk group increase in knowledge was greater among those with less than two years on the program.

6. Increases in knowledge of food in milk and meat groups from first to latest recall were greater among those in the $1000-2999 income group than among those below. On the other hand, the fruit/vegetable and bread/cereals group increases in knowledge were greater among those in the under $1000 group.

7. Increases in knowledge of food in milk, meat, and fruit/vegetables groups from first to latest recall were greater among homemakers who also made the most improvement in the adequacy of their diet food intake.

8. Increases in knowledge of food in milk and meat groups were greater among those who had had more than one program assistant than among those with only one program assistant. The fruit/vegetables and bread/cereals group increases in food knowledge were greater among those who had not had more than one program assistant. Implications and recommendations also were included.

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