The Issue
In Sutter County, 34% of residents speak a language other than English at home, with commonly spoken languages including Spanish, Hmong, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu.
The Sutter County Adult Education English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is free to all adults and is designed to strengthen communication skills, helping students advance in both the workplace and educational settings.
In Sutter County the rate of obesity is 32% which is notably higher than California’s statewide rate of 24%. A key feature of the ESL program is its focus on life skills related to improved health, which naturally complements the adult education offered by the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Through EFNEP, adult learners gain practical knowledge such as how to save money on groceries, preparing healthy and affordable meals at home, and including fun physical activities in their daily routines. These skills align with the Sutter County Public Health Community Health Improvement Plan, Building Resilient Communities: Nutrition and Food Access.
How UC Delivers
In April and May 2025, Sonia Rodriguez, Community Education Specialist for the EFNEP program in Sutter County, implemented a 9-week nutrition education series in partnership with the Sutter County Adult School ESL Program.
A total of 87 students across three ESL cohorts participated in the Families Eating Smart and Moving More curriculum. By completing the series, students earned academic credit while gaining practical skills to enhance their nutrition, physical activity, and overall well-being.
The Families Eating Smart and Moving More lesson series begins with participants completing an About Me form, which serves both to personalize the educational experience and to collect valuable program data.
To enhance accessibility and reduce language barriers, this form has been translated into multiple languages in recent years, making it especially useful in multilingual settings like Sutter County.
The Impact
Sonia Rodriguez, EFNEP Community Education Specialist, expressed her enthusiasm for working with the Sutter Adult School ESL cohorts:
“I always look forward to serving this fantastic group. You should have seen their reactions when they saw the ‘About Me' form in their own language.”
This thoughtful adaptation not only supported data collection but also fostered a sense of inclusion and respect among participants, enhancing their overall learning experience.
Evaluation and Outcomes
To assess the effectiveness of the lesson series, pre- and post-surveys were administered across all Sutter Adult School ESL cohorts. A total of 87 participants completed the surveys, which measured changes in behaviors related to food safety, physical activity, food resource management and food security.
The results demonstrated significant improvements across the key focus areas:
Behavioral Area | % of Participants Showing Improvement | Examples of Improved Behaviors |
Food Safety | 96% | Washing hands before food prep, cleaning surfaces after handling raw meat, proper thawing, using a meat thermometer |
Physical Activity | 99% | Exercising 30+ minutes, strength training, incorporating more daily movement |
Food Resource Management | 100% | Cooking at home, comparing prices, meal planning, checking inventory, making shopping lists |
Food Security | 89% | Ensuring enough food for the family, not skipping meals due to financial constraints |
Increasing access to EFNEP supports the mission of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) by empowering adults who speak English as a second language to learn behaviors that improve individual and household financial stability, food security and food safety.
Households that prepare meals at home at least 2 times a week are associated with a healthier diet (Wolfson & Bleich, 2014). Adopting financial management behaviors like making a shopping list and meal planning have been shown to improve food security among households (Gundersen and Garasky (2012). These outcomes are especially critical in Sutter County, where 13.9% of residents experience food insecurity.
By reaching more ESL participants, EFNEP empowers families with the knowledge and skills to make healthier, more affordable food choices.
The effective partnership between Sutter County Adult School ESL Program and EFNEP is planned to continue into the next federal fiscal year to reach a new cohort of adult participants.