Nutrition 310 Infographic Proposal

Joel Gartenberg

1. Addressing food refusal in Washington State Elementary School (grades k-5) by targeting the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction (Department of Education).
2. The target population for my infographic are elementary school students ages 5 through 11 attending public school in Washington State.
3. Students ages 5-11 attending elementary school’s will greatly benefit from my infographic because by addressing “picky eating” and trying to combat its negative effects we can reduce the consequences of a poor diet, childhood behavioral problems later in life and reduce the likely hood of anxiety and depression. The prevalence of picky eating is a common disorder during childhood. In the Stanford Infant Growth Study, picky eating “during childhood rang[ed] from 8%-50% of children in different samples” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943861/). According to a study by conducted by the University of Bristol Medical school through the Centre for Academic Child Health, the consequences of picky eating lead to a “distortion of nutrient intakes of iron and zinc… [and] low intakes of dietary fiber”. This can lead to “developmental difficulties in some children with persistent picky eating” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30392488)). Secondly, in a Duke University Center for Eating Disorders study they discovered a connection between picky eaters and anxiety. Children who are picky eaters are “more likely to show symptoms of depression, social anxiety or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder compared to children who weren’t picky eaters” (http://time.com/3981050/picky-eating-health-risks/). Finally in a German study of 426 children ages 8 to 123 they found that “picky eaters were more likely to exhibit problem behaviors than no picky eaters… and in later childhood… demonstrate behavior problems and In adolescence symptoms of anorexia nervosa” ((https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30392488).
4. The public health organization I am going to target would be the WA State Superintendent of Public Instruction in order to set the standards for all the public elementary schools in the state of Washington. Next, I would distribute my infographic throughout all 294 school districts.
5. I will persuade the organization to distribute my infographic using a few techniques. I will first emphasize the cognitive benefits that come along from reducing picky eating, followed by the later in life implications using strong data and visual presentations (mentioned previously in 3). Next, I will use my connections and start a fundraiser to help lobby congressmen and women to get more leverage in the government ☺.  

Washington State Department of Education: http://www.k12.wa.us

1. Describe how you will persuade the organization to distribute/post your infographic. To do this explain how your infographic is aimed to improve the health of individuals that the organization targets. Example: The infographic will promote the importance of adequate vitamin D levels to prevent rickets in WIC families.

Reference all pieces of supportive information and provide a link to the organization you are targeting to disseminate your infographic. 

EXAMPLE Topics (these are just examples, it is OK to use these topics or find a topic that is exciting to you)

 "Public breastfeeding acceptance" targeting local restaurants and disseminated through the restaurant association

 "Family meals are important" targeting low-income families disseminating through WIC clinics