Emerging Practice

Touching Hearts and Minds

State/Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
Setting: Clinical
Population: Adolescents & Young Adults Children Infant Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Access to Quality Healthcare Safe and Connected Communities Family & Youth Engagement Primary & Preventative Care Health Promotion & Communication Nutrition & Physical Activity
NPMs: NA NPM 8.1: Physical Activity – Ages 6 to 11 NPM 8.2: Physical Activity – Ages 12 to 17

The Touching Hearts, Touching Minds initiative was funded through a 2003 United States Department of Agriculture Special Projects grant to revitalize nutrition education and services in the Massachusetts Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. The 30 nutrition education materials and facilitated group counseling techniques developed through the project use the power of parent-identified emotional “pulse points” to become more influential in guiding WIC participants to practice positive eating and physical activity behaviors that lead to healthier families. Touching Hearts, Touching Minds materials and strategies have been well received and provide opportunities to transform the nutrition counseling relationship between WIC families and WIC staff. Touching Hearts, Touching Minds has changed nutrition education in Massachusetts and is influencing nutrition education across the country and beyond in numerous venues.


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Implementation Handout



CONTACT INFORMATION
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Rachel Colchamiro
Rachel.Colchamiro@state.ma.us

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