GNE is producing a General Nutrition app for Latinas and Latinos. We believe that there are Hispanic populations right here in Oregon that are vulnerable to malnutrition. They live on the margin of our society, underserved and disadvantaged.
We want to provide them with nutrition education materials that are informative, relevant and linguistically appropriate. Our goal is to use technology and human-centered design to make learning fun for Hispanic adults regardless of literacy level. It’s about providing the right information in the right context the right way. With that information they can improve their health through nutrition.
GNE is proud to partner with the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic, to test the GNE app here in Oregon and to work with their leadership and bilingual Registered Dietitian. We look forward to producing a pilot app that meets the needs of the YVFWC population and that adds value to their work.
Hundreds of women in Nepal and Guatemala shared their positive experience with our apps and demonstrated recall of our key health messages. We anticipate our pilot in the US will have similar success in engaging this underserved population about general nutrition.
Over the next three years, we hope to successfully launch the GNE general nutrition app at YVFWC. We also want to build a health education app to address nutrition for clients with type II diabetes mellitus, sometimes called a problem of “overnutrition.” We will also continue to look for more partners to serve vulnerable Oregonians.
If you would like to learn more about this population, go to “Latinos in Oregon: Trends and Opportunities in a Changing State” at The Oregon Community Foundation.