Community action

Two problems for nutrition educators are defining appropriate messages and gaining access to target groups. In addition, communication skills are essential if messages are to be presented in a convincing and persuasive manner. The exercise described by Paul Fieldhouse in this article, is designed to meet these needs by giving students the opportunity to devise suitable nutrition messages and to develop practical communication skills in putting their messages across to lay audiences. Initially, evaluation is restricted to giving as much positive feedback as possible, though later more structured assessment can be introduced. The exercise was successful in establishing links between the Polytechnic department and the local community.