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The UTRGV CHECK Program Helps RCR Elementary Students Learn About Eating Healthy 2021
Did you know that grains like rice, wheat, and oats are actually the seeds of grasses? Or that proper food portion sizes can be determined by using your hand? The 4th grade students at Ruben C. Rodriguez (RCR) Elementary in Edcouch-Elsa ISD learned this and more while participating in The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Creating Healthy Eating Choices for Kids (CHECK) program. The CHECK program is a collaboration between the UTRGV School of Nursing and UTRGV College of Health Professions Border Health Office that focuses on healthy nutrition for school-age children across the Rio Grande Valley. The program also helps participating schools raise above-ground fruit and vegetable gardens to extend the students’ connection to the sources of their food and further empower them to incorporate healthy food choices into their lifestyles.
The students were able to learn about fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy foods. To capture the students’ interest, the CHECK program presents interesting facts on healthy foods. Apples, for example, should be eaten with the peel. Why? Because the peel is where the most nutrients are found. “It’s a fun strategy to help children understand why it’s important to eat fruits and vegetables”, said Doreen Garza, Director of the Border Health Office. The program also teaches children to use their hand and familiar household objects to determine proper food portion sizes.
UTRGV Family Nurse Practitioner students help 4th grade students at RCR Elementary plant fruits and vegetables in their new above ground fruit & vegetable garden.
The CHECK lessons are taught by graduate nursing students enrolled in the UTRGV Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Program. In a typical year, the CHECK instruction is conducted in the classroom. Due to the pandemic, most students learned about CHECK via Zoom. Dr. Lilia Fuentes, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs for the UTRGV School of Nursing said that the graduate nursing students enjoyed the opportunity to share what they have learned during the course of their program with 4th grade students at RCR elementary. “As nurses, our commitment is to health and wellness. The CHECK program provides a vital opportunity to give back to our community.”
To celebrate the culmination of the CHECK program, 4th grade students who were attending campus planted fruits and vegetables in 4 raised garden beds. But students who were receiving instruction from home did not miss out on the fun. Each 4th grade student was provided with a pot, soil, seeds and growing instructions so that they could grow a fruit or vegetable at home. Each student also received the books “Adelita and the Veggie Cousins” and “The Patchwork Garden” to help reinforce the CHECK lessons. The CHECK program also provided each 4th grade student with a bag of fruits and vegetables so they could enjoy with their families at home. Finally, the students received an H-E-Buddy plate and cup, courtesy of HEB, so students can properly portion their meals. RCR Principal Marisela Olivarez and her staff were instrumental in coordinating the CHECK program at their campus, from the CHECK zoom lessons, raising the garden beds, and distributing the fruit and vegetable bags to parents. Olivarez was grateful to have had her campus participate in the CHECK program. “I want to thank UTRGV for helping our students learn about the importance of eating healthy. Our students were thrilled to participate in this program and the parents were appreciative for receiving the fruit and vegetable bags.”
The UTRGV CHECK program has provided nutrition instruction to over 2,000 4th grade students in the Lyford, Monte Alto, La Villa, Edcouch-Elsa and Donna school districts and more than 100 above-ground garden beds being raised at their elementary campuses.
| With the end of the 2017-2018 school year, came the close of the Aetna Foundation funded CHECK (Creating Healthy Eating Choices for Kids) Plus! program. The UTRGV COHA Border Health Office in partnership with the School of Nursing and the Donna ISD implemented an 18-month program aimed at empowering 4 th grade students and their families to make healthy lifestyle choices. CHECK provided nutrition lessons to the students and helped these students construct above-ground gardens at each of 14 elementary campuses. Upon completion of the nutrition education and raising of the above ground gardens, the CHECK Plus! program proceeded with the establishment of Nutrition Creation Stations. |  |
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Through the Aetna Foundation grant money, commercial blenders and salad carts were used to make healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies. The Nutrition Creation Stations allowed students to create and make their own smoothies using fresh fruits and vegetables, and in some cases, fruits and vegetables from their very own gardens. On-site facilitators and teachers included an education piece to introduce the students to making healthy smoothies. Students were also encouraged students to make smoothies at home for all the family to share and always with the consent of a parent and proper supervision at home. As students tried different combinations, the most popular smoothie included kale and banana smoothie using either flavored (usually pineapple) or non-flavored drinkable yogurt. |
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CHECK Plus! project directors Doreen Garza and David Salazar attended several of the smoothie-making activities and noticed that the young students enjoyed looking at the smoothie ingredients, the freshly sliced bananas and the green kale. Students seemed intrigued and enthused by the idea of mixing all the ingredients into a drink. Many of the students were surprised that something with kale in it could taste good. |
| With the end of the school year came the end-of-the project community garden fruit and vegetable celebrations. Each of the 14 campuses distributed over 1,100 fruit and vegetable bags to parents and the surrounding communities. |  |
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On May 18, 2018 over 45 Rio Grande Valley school nurse nurses and school nurse administrators participated in a half-day seminar focusing on childhood obesity and the multivariate factors that influence obesity/overweight prevalence in children and adolescents. Obesity in children and adolescents carries serious health and social consequences and has continued to be a concerning and costly epidemic for families, communities, schools, and health care providers. During the past 30 years, obesity rates doubled for adults and preschool children, while tripling among school-age children and adolescents. |
| Dr. Otto Velasquez, Board Certified Pediatrician and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UTRGV and UTHSCSA spoke to the school nurses about the health consequences of overweight in children and the importance of early detection and early intervention. |  |
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Dr. Dora Zamora-Flores, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics UTHSCSA School of Medicine shared information about the G.O.A.L. ( Get rid of Overweight with Appropriate Life choices) program. G.O.A.L. is a community-based program which includes a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals that work with children and adolescents and their families in helping them improve their lifestyles for better health. |
| On March 22, 2018, John F. Kennedy Elementary 4 th grade students and their teachers hosted a Creating Healthy Eating Choices for Kids (CHECK) fruit and vegetable celebration to commemorate their participation in The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Border Health Office CHECK program funded by the Raul Tijerina Jr. Foundation. All parents and students were invited to view the new above ground garden at the campus. |  |
| Over 100 bags filled with fruits and vegetables were distributed to local households. In addition, parents and students were able to visit booths to learn about nutrition, dental hygiene, and emergency services. Parents and students also enjoyed quality time reading books published by the Arte Público Press, The Patchwork Garden “Pedacitos de Huerto” and Adelita and the Veggie Cousins “Adelita y las Primas Verduritas”. Each 4 th grade student received a complimentary copy of each book to take home. | |
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Creating Healthy Eating Choices for Kids (CHECK) is a health promotion program developed by The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) College of Health Affairs (COHA) Border Health Office (BHO) and UTRGV COHA School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Program. |
| The CHECK program focuses on healthy nutrition for school-age children and their parents from communities in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas. The CHECK program delivers nutrition education lessons and engages graduate nursing students in facilitation of USDA’s “Serving Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum”. | |
| The program also helps participating schools raise above ground fruit and vegetable gardens to extend the students’ connection to the sources of their food and further empower them to incorporate healthy food choices into their lifestyles. Providing nutrition education for both students and families is an essential component in children and adolescent health promotion. |  |