Diet Analysis and Comparison across the Life Cycle and Comparison of Food Assistance Programs

• Describe the food assistance programs available throughout the lifespan.
• Discuss the eligibility requirements for SNAP and WIC.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of SNAP and WIC.
• Compare SNAP and WIC and their focus on prevention.

Course outcome assessed/addressed in this Assignment: 

NS325-1: Discuss how nutrient needs change throughout the life cycle.

NS325-6: Identify nutrition education and food assistance programs available to pregnant women, infants, children and the elderly.

GEL-1.03: Demonstrate college-level communication through the oral delivery of original materials in Standard English. 

Instructions: 

This Assignment is divided into two sections. The first section requires you to compare nutrients throughout the life stages. The second section requires you to compare the varying approaches of food assistance programs designed to assist specific populations. 

Part I: Nutrients across the Life Cycle

For the first part of your Assignment, complete the table below for total calories, total carbohydrates, protein, total fat, calcium, iron, vitamin D, and folic acid to the RDAs/DRIs of the listed life stages. You will need to determine the energy needs for infants, children, adolescents, adults, and elders. The book has several equations to determine these needs (e.g. kcal/kgBW, Harris- Benedict, Mifflin St-Jeor).

After determining the energy needs, determine the macronutrients in grams. For example, if a child needs 2000 calories, 50% of those calories from carbohydrates, 20% from protein, and 30% from fat; that would be 250 grams carbohydrates, 100 grams protein, and 67 grams fat. Then, use the book or this website (http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Nutrition/SummaryDRIs/DRI-Tables.aspx) to locate the DRIs for each age group for the micronutrients:

1. Infants (7-month-old female, 26 inches, 18 pounds)
2. Child (5-year-old male, 44 inches, 38 pounds, who runs around at school for about 45 minutes per day)
3. Teen (15-year-old male, 71 inches, 155 pounds, who works out 6 days per week for 60 minutes by playing basketball)
4. Adult (32-year-old female, 63 inches, 123 pounds, who works out 4 days per week for 30 minutes by running on the treadmill)
5. Elderly (62-year-old male, 69 inches, 188 pounds, who walks 1 mile 7 days per week, which is about 40 minutes total each day)

Use the below table to provide the information above for each age group.

Choose 1 macronutrient, 1 vitamin, and 1 mineral from the table above. Discuss why these particular nutrients increase/decrease/or remain the same throughout each life stage.

Format:

• Use the table above to fill in the nutrient requirements.
• The discussion of nutrient changes should be in paragraph format. Double spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman font.
• Include at least two references. The course textbook counts as one reference. All references should follow APA style format.

Part II: Oral Presentation comparing WIC and SNAP

The nutrition status and food choices described in part I are influenced by many factors including socioeconomic status, knowledge, and access to healthy foods. In order to meet the nutritional needs you described previously, many Americans rely upon food assistance programs such as WIC and SNAP.

You work in the nutrition department of a local medical clinic. Many of the clients are low income families. Your manager has asked you to create a PowerPoint presentation with narration to inform the clinic’s staff of the requirements, benefits, and drawbacks of WIC and SNAP. Include WIC and SNAP’s eligibility requirements (i.e., income level, risk factors, etc.) and at least two advantages and two disadvantages for WIC and SNAP.

Requirements Part II:

Part II will be comprised of a PowerPoint with narration about the eligibility requirements, and the advantages and disadvantages of the WIC and SNAP programs. Bulleted Points on each slide should include brief points that identify the areas that will be addressed in the narration.

Note: Refer to the WIC and SNAP links located in the required reading section for Unit 9.

For assistance with recording narration in PowerPoint, review this Microsoft link: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Record-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings-0b9502c6-5f6c-40ae-b1e7-e47d8741161c

Your PowerPoint presentation should include a total of six slides using the following format:

Slide 1: Cover page that includes assignment title, your name, course, section number, and date.

Slide 2: WIC Eligibility Requirements (1-2-minute narration)

• Introduce WIC and describe the eligibility requirements. You should cover the following in your explanation:
• Income requirement
• Age, gender, and/or life stage
• Nutritional factors (if any)

Slide 3: SNAP Eligibility Requirements (1-2-minute narration)

• Introduce SNAP and describe the eligibility requirements. You should cover the following in your explanation:
• Income requirement
• Age, gender, and/or life stage
• Nutritional factors (if any)

Slide 4: Advantages and Disadvantages for WIC (1-2 minutes of narration)

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the WIC program. Use these questions to guide your discussion:
  • What benefits does this program provide?
  • Are there restrictions on purchases (types of food, non-food items, etc.)?
  • Does this program provide additional services (nutrition education, health care, etc.)?
  • Can these benefits be used in a variety of settings (stores, farmer’s markets, etc.)?
  • Is there a potential for abuse of these benefits?

Slide 5: Advantages and Disadvantages of SNAP (1-2 minutes of narration)

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of SNAP. Use these questions to guide your discussion:
  • What benefits does this program provide?
  • Are there restrictions on purchases (types of food, non-food items, etc.)?
  • Does this program provide additional services (nutrition education, health care, etc.)?
  • Can these benefits be used in a variety of settings (stores, farmer’s markets, etc.)?
  • Is there a potential for abuse of these benefits?

Slide 6: Reference Slide – follows APA guidelines

Narration Guidelines: Your narration for the slides should demonstrate the following:

• Maintain a professional tone by clearly summarizing the information for each slide.
• Words should be clearly enunciated and professional tone should be sustained throughout the presentation narration.
• Audio recording should be free of background noise and interruptions.

Format

• PowerPoint Presentation with six slides.
• Slides 2-5 should include narration.
• Bulleted points on each slide should include brief points that identify the areas that will be addressed in the narration.
• Researched information is cited in APA format.

Submitting Your Work