title: Family nutrition program assistants' perception of farmers' markets, alternative agricultural practices, and diet quality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore Family Nutrition Program assistants' perception of farmers' markets and alternative agricultural practices for themselves and their clients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-section design, survey of Virginia Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (NEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education Family Nutrition Program assistants (n = 52) working with limited-resource populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-one percent to 55% of FNP assistants valued alternative agricultural practices, and only 5% to 8% of FNP assistants perceived that their clients did so. Benefits to shopping at farmers' markets included supporting local economies, and food price, quality, and safety. Barriers included lack of transportation, location/convenience, hours, and food prices. Assistants rated the benefits to shopping at farmers' markets similarly for themselves and their clients, but rated many of the barriers to shopping at farmers' markets as significantly lower (P < .05) for themselves than for their clients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future assistant trainings should address the connection between agriculture and health, and how to overcome barriers to shopping at farmers' markets for their clients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. Electronic address: smisyak@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Misyak
authors.affiliation: Family Nutrition Program, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ledlie Johnson
authors.affiliation: Family Nutrition Program, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McFerren
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003132:Commerce; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D063105:Food Assistance / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D014768:Virginia
keywords: alternative agriculture; farmers' markets; local; nutrition education