Strengthening Communities Where We Live, Work, and Play | Page 14
Associate Professor
Jill Kilanowski,
PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP, FAAN
BEHIND EVERY
BLUEBERRY IS A FAMILY
Experience and Inspiration
As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner,
Kilanowski understands the health
needs of children. As the daughter of
Polish immigrants, she understands the
cultural challenges into which families
are immersed when acclimating to a new
geographic region.
Childhood Obesity among Migrant Families
Research
The blueberries you carefully select at the market are
individually picked from the bush—often by Latino
farmworkers. Between April and November, migrant workers
and their families move from farm to farm, state to state,
harvesting fragile crops such as blueberries, tomatoes,
strawberries, chili peppers, and cucumbers.
While they pick healthy foods for us to eat, this itinerant lifestyle is
frequently associated with poor nutrition, especially for the children.
• Overall, the 22.4% obesity rate
for children of Latino ethnicity is
higher than rates for their nonLatino cohorts.
• Children of Latino migrant
farmworkers experience higher
rates than their Latino peers.
• Almost 50% of these children are
obese or overweight.
Taking it to the Community
Associate Professor Jill Kilanowski, PhD,
RN, APRN, CPNP, FAAN, hits the road every
growing season. She traverses rural Michigan
and Ohio to conduct research on the ecological
risks and protectors of healthy weight in
children while improving nutrition. Findings will
support and inform policies and intervention
programs to most effectively promote health for
these children.
Reaching Children and Mothers with User
Friendly Methodologies
Culturally sensitive and age-appropriate
community-based strategies and interventions
address Latino migrant childhood obesity.
• A Michigan summer Migrant Education
Program combines physical activity and
classroom lessons on healthy eating with
hands-on learning. Middle school students
create infomercials, from storyboard-tofilming-to-editing, on health promotion topics.
• Middle school students create instructional
videos, using photo voice to capture i XY