We planned to provide lunches for children of five families and education for their parents on the prevention of heart diseases. We expected to contact the Florida Association of Food Banks (FAFB) and Feeding South Florida (FSF) to provide lunches for the children for six months and conduct face-to-face consultations for their parents. The intervention is still underway, as FSF continues to provide meals for the children.
The implementation went not as planned, as FAFB refused to cooperate. However, FSF showed enough support for the plans to be successful. Even though the results for the adults are yet to be measured, the children have already reported improved academic performance and state of mind. Moreover, the parents are also showing signs of shifting towards a healthier lifestyle, as they started to exercise and keep a balanced diet. Therefore, the intervention concerning food insecurities in Miami, Florida can be considered a success.
Interviews
Two group members were interviewed to evaluate the success of the intervention. Both of the interviewees agreed that the process went not according to the plan, as FAFB showed no enthusiasm in supporting the effort. Both respondents, however, found it hard to address the results of the intervention, as it was still underway and conclusions could be drawn only after 6-9 months. At the same time, one of the interviewers mentioned that the intervention was successful, as children began to have better grades at school (M. White, personal communication, November 21, 2018).
Moreover, the children are less likely to suffer from depression, as sufficient nutrition seems to have enhanced their mood (J. Black, personal communication, November 21, 2018). In short, all the group members agree that event the implementation process went not as planned it was still effective.
Measuring Effectiveness
The intervention was expected to have a positive effect on families’ physical and mental health. Children suffering from malnutrition are supposed to get sick more often and recover from the illnesses more slowly (American Academic of Pediatrics, 2018; Rice, Say, & Betihavas, 2018). Moreover, the consequences of poor nutrition often include depression, low self-esteem, and low academic performance (Gundersen & Ziliak, 2015). The intervention was expected to address the need of the children and improve their well-being in the spheres mentioned above. Moreover, the effort was also aimed at lowering the chance of heart diseases and hypertension, as nurse-led patient education for adults was supposed to be very beneficial for their quality of life. In short, the intervention was projected to have promising results.
References
American Academic of Pediatrics. (2018). Promoting food security for all children. Web.
Gundersen, C., & Ziliak, J. (2015). Food insecurity and health outcomes. Health Affairs, 34(11), 1830-1839. Web.
Rice, H., Say, R., & Betihavas, V. (2018). The effect of nurse-led education on hospitalization, readmission, quality of life and cost in adults with heart failure. A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(3), 363-374. Web.
Appendix
Transcript 1. Interview with Mathew White
Interviewer: Do you think the intervention went as planned?
White: Not exactly. Even though we managed to contact both the Florida Association of Food Banks and Feeding South Florida, only FSF agreed to cooperate with us. I expected greater enthusiasm from the organizations. At the same time, FSF’s cooperation was enough to implement our intervention.
Interviewer: Do you think our intervention was a success?
White: It is hard to evaluate our intervention, as it requires time to see the results. One thing is certain, the adults became more aware of the risk of heart diseases, and that may have a positive effect in the future. The parents also said that their children began to have better grades.
Transcript 2. Interview with John Black
Interviewer: Do you think the intervention went as planned?
Black: No. We made only Feeding South Florida cooperate with us. This was not according to the plan, but SFS’s assistance was enough for the intervention to be successful.
Interviewer: Do you think our intervention was a success?
Black: Yes. The children’s moods improved. I think that there is less chance for them to suffer from depression. The adults also received the education that will help them in the future.