Professional Papers

CLICK HERE FOR ABSTRACTS ABSTRACTS CAHE Conference Presentations TT 2025 25th Biennial Conference held in Trinidad and Tobago, April 13-16, 2025 at the University of Trinidada and Tobago (UTT), Chaguaramas. “Artificial Intelligence Home Economics Values and Attitudes: Interrogating the nexus ” Click here ABSTRACTS CAHE Conference Presentations TT 2025

Claudia Brown-Wilson, MICO University College, Jamaica Click here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBjSDDF3jya7xd19WRPugJa5fPT2zqtd/view?usp=sharing

ABSTRACT Culturally Appropriate Methods to Promote Nutrition Education among Black African Americans Nutrition education has shifted from the emphasis of didactic talk to mothers to using participatory methods and a range of communication channels. Sensitivity to cultural differences in ourselves and in those of different ethnic backgrounds is an important aspect of competence in reaching a diverse population particularly in nutrition education. Nutrition educators will now be evaluated on their ability to produce desirable behavioral changes in clients from different culture. This project aimed to identify the strategies to effective nutrition education programs among Black African Americans. A survey was conducted with 55 nutrition educators with diverse cultural backgrounds to assess their perception of another culture’s traditional food. In addition, a focus group was conducted with 8 African Americans women in the Tri-county area of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.  A structured questionnaire was used. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis were conducted. The results indicated that approximately 80% of the nutrition educators were ethnocentric. An effective nutrition education program might take into consideration the nutrition educator’s experiences, attitudes, values, and biases that could influence nutrition education; a knowledge of the participants’ cultural eating patterns, family traditions such as core foods, traditional celebrations, taste and flavor, and the meaning of food and health is needed. Overall, a knowledge of the socio-cultural context of food, and the ability to incorporate these into the teaching methodologies may promote desirable health and behavior changes needed. Key words: Nutrition Education, diverse cultural backgrounds, nutrition education programs Virginie Zoumenou, Ph.D., CNS, LDN Professor of Dietetics and Nutrition University of Maryland Eastern Shore   This project aimed to identify the strategies to effective nutrition education programs among Black African Americans. A survey was conducted with 55 nutrition educators with diverse cultural backgrounds to assess their perception of another culture’s traditional food. In addition, a focus group was conducted with 8 African Americans women in the Tri-county area of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.  A structured questionnaire was used. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis were conducted. The results indicated that approximately 80% of the nutrition educators were ethnocentric. An effective nutrition education program might take into consideration the nutrition educator’s experiences, attitudes, values, and biases that could influence nutrition education; a knowledge of the participants’ cultural eating patterns, family traditions such as core foods, traditional celebrations, taste and flavor, and the meaning of food and health is needed. Overall, a knowledge of the socio-cultural context of food, and the ability to incorporate these into the teaching methodologies may promote desirable health and behavior changes needed. Key words: Nutrition Education, diverse cultural backgrounds, nutrition education programs   Virginie Zoumenou, Ph.D., CNS, LDN Professor of Dietetics and Nutrition University of Maryland Eastern Shore  

ABSTRACT Freedom and Conformity in Dress among Adolescents in Trinidad  Adolescence has been described as a challenging period in which physical, psychological and social changes take place. Since clothing is one way in which adolescents express themselves; the manner in which they purchase and wear clothing during adolescence should provide valuable knowledge. This research examined the clothing purchasing and wearing behaviours of adolescents in Trinidad and the extent to which they used freedom in choosing clothing or conformed to fashion trends. The study also investigated whether there are differences in these behaviours based on the household income of their family, the stage of adolescent development i.e. early, middle and late, the gender, religion and ethnicity of the adolescent. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. In the first phase, 376 secondary school students throughout the island were surveyed. In the second phase, 2 focus groups were conducted; a total of 10 boys, 12 girls and 8 parents participated. Results revealed that the purchasing and wearing behaviours of middle adolescents differ from early and late adolescents. While early adolescents’ purchasing and wearing behaviours tended to be influenced by their peers; the tendency decreased as they matured to later adolescent stages. Adolescent boys purchased clothing to conform to their social network, whereas adolescent girls were less conforming. The household income afforded adolescents the opportunity to purchase the clothing advertised in the media. Roman Catholic adolescents used a high level of freedom when purchasing and wearing clothing. Understanding of this phenomenon holds implications for parents, educators, counselor, designers and clothing merchandisers.  Keywords: Adolescent; stages of adolescent development; purchasing clothing behaviours   wearing clothing behaviours, freedom, conformity. Margaret Gordon, PhD The University of the West Indies St. Augustine, Trinidad    

ABSTRACT Professionalism and Home Economics Professionalism in Home Economics is essential to the growth and development of the home economist. An understanding of the philosophy and epistemology grounding the profession is critical in an era impacted by technological and global changes. In Educational institutions, these changes have been observed in the form of rebranding and re-envisioning the profession to future proof Home Economics for the 21st century. Critical to this future proofing is the name change. This small scale exploratory research seeks to unearth the home economist philosophical standpoint on the changing profession.  How do they see themselves as professionals? What does the profession look like in the 21st Century? Data will be collected via interviews and focus group sessions. A cross case thematic analysis will be used to analyze the findings.   Key Words: Philosophy, Home Economics, Future Proofing, Epistemology, Professionalism Hope Mayne, Ph. D. University of Technology, Jamaica

ABSTRACT Home Economics: Meeting the Needs of Families in a Changing Caribbean Caribbean families have throughout history displayed remarkable resilience and a key reason for this has been their ability to modify and reconfigure itself to suit their specific social and political context (James and Harris,1998; Chamberlain,1999). A culturally appropriate definition of the Caribbean family, an understanding of its composition and its origins can best help to explain its evolution towards interventions for meeting the needs of these families and their communities. While similarities between the familial structures and the impact of multiple variables upon families in the Caribbean and other parts of the region of the Americas exist, nuances and yet distinct differences prevail. All territories in the region have experienced socio-political changes and the resulting economic and demographic trends have affected some territories more than others. Nonetheless the Caribbean family continues to recreate itself as it is impacted by global trends, more particularly the intra-regional changes in cultural, religious, economic and political policies and practices. A dearth of current statistics for the critical variables of familial roles and structure, immigration, repatriation and their impact on the family tend to diminish the magnitude of these changes, their effects and interventions to mere conjecture. This lack of empirical evidence presents a challenge for scientific discussions, but because vast similarities exist within and between countries in the Caribbean the presentation will benefit from a qualitative approach derived from focus group discussions and available statistics. The presentation will discuss critical impacts and examine solutions and implications for home economics towards improving the quality of life for families. Key words:  Caribbean families, trends, social change Audrey A. Jones-Drayton, M Ed., IPHE, CPHE, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology, Barbados 2017

Audrey A. Jones-Drayton, M Ed. CPHE, IPHE Caribbean families have throughout history displayed remarkable resilience and a key reason for this has been their ability to modify and reconfigure themselves to suit their specific social and political context (James and Harris,1998; Chamberlain,1999). A culturally appropriate definition of the Caribbean family, an understanding of its composition and its origins can best explain its evolution towards interventions for meeting the needs of these families and their communities. While similarities between the familial structures and the impact of multiple variables upon families in the Caribbean and other parts of the region of the Americas exist, nuances and yet distinct differences prevail. All territories in the region have experienced socio-political changes and the resulting economic and demographic trends have affected some territories more than others. Nonetheless the Caribbean family continues to recreate itself as it is impacted by global trends, more particularly the intra-regional changes in cultural, religious, economic and political policies and practices. A dearth of current statistics for the critical variables of familial roles and structure, immigration, repatriation and their impact on the family tend to diminish the magnitude of these changes, their effects and interventions to mere conjecture. This lack of empirical evidence presents a challenge for scientific discussions but because vast similarities exist within and between countries in the Caribbean the presentation will benefit from a qualitative approach derived from focus group discussions and available statistics. The presentation will discuss critical impacts and examine solutions and the implications for home economics towards improving the quality of life for families. Key words:  Caribbean families, trends, social change Click here for full paper Meeting the changing needs of the family Perspectives form the Americas CAHE Jamaica 2017  

In this presentation Dr. Coward discusses Competency Based Education and Training: Implications for Workforce, on successful completion of the presentation, attending participants would have been able to discuss the underpinnings of  the competency-based training approach, comment critically on the strengths and limitations of competency-based training and establish the link between competency-based training and the implications. Download Competency Based Education by Antonia Coward PhD here.   Competency Based Education and Training- Implications for the Workforce

 Jacqueline M. Holland, Ed. D,  CFCS, IFHE member, and family and consumer sciences supervisor at Prince George’s County Public Schools, Maryland, USA shares her findings and experiences  for getting students on the right career track and linking people to the right careers. She shares one of the most utilized career development theories;John Holland’s Theory of Career Choice. His theory outlines six personality types that help to determine career choices. Ms Holland can be contacted at jholland{at}pgcps{dot}org. Jacqueline M. Holland, CFCS (Author) To read the full article please download it here.  Career Development Planning