Evergreen Action Nutrition Program

The Evergreen Action Nutrition (EAN) program provides nutrition education to older adults as a means of preventing chronic disease and promoting good health. The program focues on various nutrition issues for older adults and includes opportunities for group and individual participation. The program was created by nutritionists and older adults in Guelph, Ontario, and consists of secondary preventative programs such as food demonstrations and workshops. Program demonstrations and workshops are conducted at a local senior's recreation center. The EAN program offers many additional services including nutrition counseling, opportunities to sign up for garden fresh boxes, diabetes support groups, cooking groups, and monthly displays and newsletters.

The goal of the Evergreen Action Nutrition program is to prevent chronic diseases and encourage health eating and nutrition among seniors in the community.

In an evaluation of the ENA program it was found that the community organization approach to developing programs for seniors is both useful and inclusive. In a survey evaluation, it was shown that food demonstrations resulted in the greatest changes in food practices, such as changing cooking methods or increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Overall, seniors who participated in the program had less nutrition risk post-intervention, and fruit and vegetable intake seemed to improve the most.