Developing a Culturally Relevant Nutrition Education Curriculum for Low-Income, Community-Dwelling Older Adults - Capstone Report

Sep 11, 2026

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Acknowledgements for a Master of Public Health capstone project focused on developing a culturally relevant nutrition education and physical activity curriculum for senior residents of Bellwether Housing. The work recognizes key contributions from public health nutrition advisors, a project partner who supported development through the COVID-19 pandemic and dietetic rotations, program guidance from additional mentors, Bellwether staff and residents for feedback, and emotional support from roommates throughout the project timeline in 2021.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatDOCX

Pages52

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgements

Chapter I: Introduction

Chapter II: Older Adults and Nutrition Risk

Physical Changes

Mental Health

Food Access, Food Security, and Chronic Disease

Chapter III: Bellwether Housing – Mission and Residents

Background and Mission

Older Adult Residents

Current Resources Available and Gaps in Supportive Services

Chapter IV: Adult Learning Theories and Nutrition Education

Social Cognitive Theory

Theory of Planned Behavior

Malcolm Knowles’ Andragogy

Chapter V: Existing Nutrition Education Programs and Interventions

Prior Theory-Based Interventions

Additional Components of Successful Nutrition Interventions

Discussion of the Literature

Chapter VI: Methods

Phase 1: Needs Assessment

Phase 2: Curriculum Development

Chapter VII: Curriculum and Instructor Guide

Overview

Class Descriptions

Chapter VIII: Curriculum Delivery and Next Steps

Chapter IX: Conclusion

Appendix

Box 1. Nutrition and Activity Survey

Table 1. Quantitative Survey Responses

Table 2. Summary Statements and Qualitative Survey Results

Table 3. Curricula Used to Inform Lesson Plans

References

Dorothy Nguyen Developing a Culturally Relevant Nutrition Education Curriculum for Low-Income, Community-Dwelling Older Adults A Capstone Report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health in Public Health Nutrition Practice University of Washington 2021 Capstone Advisors: Lina Pinero-Walkinshaw and Michelle Averill Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Nutritional Sciences Program School of Public Health Acknowledgements This project would not be possible without the support of my advisors, Lina Pinero-Walkinshaw and Michelle Averill. I am extremely appreciative of their ongoing support and advice throughout this project, and I cannot thank them enough for their help. A huge portion of the success of this project is also attributable to my wonderful project partner Sarah Perlin. Sarah’s support throughout this project, especially during the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ups and downs of our dietetic rotations, was immeasurable and I could not have done this without her. I also want to extend a huge thank you to Elliot Swanson for his continued guidance and insight throughout this project. I am very grateful for the time he took before, during, and after his paternity leave to meet with Sarah and I to discuss the project, and mentor us as we developed the curriculum. I am also thankful to all of the Bellwether staff and residents who participated in this project. This project could not have been accomplished without their feedback and support. Lastly, this project could not have been completed without the emotional support from my wonderful roommates Taylor, Emily, Khali, Tonks, Kobe, Anna, Elsa, Sifu Toph, Firelord Zuko, Appa, Jennie, Lisa, and Rosie. Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988988" Acknowledgements PAGEREF _Toc71988988 \h 2 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988989" Chapter I: Introduction PAGEREF _Toc71988989 \h 5 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988990" Chapter II: Older Adults and Nutrition Risk PAGEREF _Toc71988990 \h 7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988991" Physical Changes PAGEREF _Toc71988991 \h 7 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988992" Mental Health PAGEREF _Toc71988992 \h 8 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988993" Food Access, Food Security, and Chronic Disease PAGEREF _Toc71988993 \h 9 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988994" Chapter III: Bellwether Housing – Mission and Residents PAGEREF _Toc71988994 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988995" Background and Mission PAGEREF _Toc71988995 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988996" Older Adult Residents PAGEREF _Toc71988996 \h 11 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988997" Current Resources Available and Gaps in Supportive Services PAGEREF _Toc71988997 \h 12 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988998" Chapter IV: Adult Learning Theories and Nutrition Education PAGEREF _Toc71988998 \h 14 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71988999" Social Cognitive Theory PAGEREF _Toc71988999 \h 14 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989000" Theory of Planned Behavior PAGEREF _Toc71989000 \h 15 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989001" Malcolm Knowles’ Andragogy PAGEREF _Toc71989001 \h 16 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989002" Chapter V: Existing Nutrition Education Programs and Interventions PAGEREF _Toc71989002 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989003" Prior Theory-Based Interventions PAGEREF _Toc71989003 \h 17 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989004" Additional Components of Successful Nutrition Interventions PAGEREF _Toc71989004 \h 19 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989005" Discussion of the Literature PAGEREF _Toc71989005 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989006" Chapter VI: Methods PAGEREF _Toc71989006 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989007" Phase 1: Needs Assessment PAGEREF _Toc71989007 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989008" Survey Development PAGEREF _Toc71989008 \h 23 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989009" Survey Implementation PAGEREF _Toc71989009 \h 24 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc71989010" Survey Analysis PAGEREF _Toc71989010 \h 25 HYPERLINK \l "_

FAQs

Who are the primary advisors acknowledged for the capstone project?

The project acknowledges advisors Lina Pinero-Walkinshaw and Michelle Averill for ongoing support and advice throughout the work.

What role did the project partner Sarah Perlin play?

Sarah Perlin provided substantial support during the project, including throughout the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes during dietetic rotations.

Why are Bellwether staff and residents acknowledged?

They are credited for participating in the project and providing feedback and support that enabled completion of the work.

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Asher