title: Touching Hearts, Touching Minds: using emotion-based messaging to promote healthful behavior in the Massachusetts WIC program.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Division, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA 02108, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colchamiro
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ghiringhelli
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hause
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005522:Food Services; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011632:Public Assistance