USDA Under Secretary to Visit Auburn
	Auburn, June 12, 2002--Eric Bost, U.S. Department of Agriculture under secretary for food, 
nutrition and consumer services, will visit Auburn University Wednesday, June 19.  He will meet with 
Alabama Integrated Nutrition Education Partnership (AINEP), a partnership of organizations, led by the 
Alabama Cooperative Extension System.  AINEP is committed to promoting healthy lifestyle choices to all 
citizens.
	Dr. Suzette Jelinek, Extension network and marketing specialist, says Bost will discuss the 
importance of changing the nation's lifestyle in order to bring chronic diseases such as childhood obesity 
under control.  Jelinek serves as the chairperson of AINEP.
	"Another reason Bost is visiting Alabama is that our state partnership is well ahead of other 
states," says Jelinek.  "We already have established a partnership of organizations who are contributing 
funding to the AINEP strategic plan."
	Extension is joined in AINEP by the Alabama Department of Public Health's Women, Infant and 
Children program, the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness, the Alabama Child Nutrition Program, 
and the Alabama Department of Public Health's Nutrition and Physical Activity Unit, just to name a few.
	The group, formed in 2001, will promote healthy lifestyles including increased physical activity 
and improved nutrition to all Alabamians.
	"There will be an emphasis on those with limited resources to reduce their risk of cancer, heart 
disease, diabetes and high blood pressure," says Jelinek.  "The cornerstone of our efforts will be a social 
marketing campaign over the next five years."
	The campaign will include television and radio public service announcements, brochures, 
computer presentations, a 1-800 hotline as well as a number of other program efforts.
	The first message Alabamians will be hearing is "Take Action.  Walk, Dance and Play."  This 
theme will begin appearing in October 2002 and will run through May 2003.  Following the "Take Action" 
message, there will be themes encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, followed by 
one touting choosing a diet lower in fat.
	AINEP has included means of evaluating the program's effectiveness both in the short- and long-
term.  AINEP will use multiple federal and state evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the campaign.
	Jelinek says, "AINEP's commitment not only to effective programming but accountability of how 
funds are used make us a role model for other states who are just beginning their efforts to comply with a 
federal call for seamless nutrition education."
	Bost, in his 10-month tenure at USDA, has been an advocate of increased accountability of the 
use of federal funds as well as improved program evaluations.