Week 11 - Future of the Profession

Question 1

Describe the role of Home Economics in the curriculum.

Answer 1

• Late 1800s, HEc taken very seriously until feminist movement & dump Home Ec movement of 60s and 70s
• Removal of HEc from the classroom coincided with cost-cutting measures in schools and the rise in consumerism, ex. designer clothing replaced homemade
• Homemaking not as valued as wage-earning, became secondary to work life
• The market (e.g., Martha Stewart) is filling the gap left by the removal of HEc classes from the curriculum
• We have shifted from producers to consumers
• Parents need to demand HEc curriculum
• Make HEc a priority at university level

Question 2

define: civic dietetics

Answer 2

• the integration of food system awareness into professional practice
• the application of dietetics to enhance public health by addressing food system structures, impacts, and policies and their relationship to food choices
• renewed understanding of how the food system plays a role in public health

Question 3

Discuss the emergence of civic dietetics

Answer 3

• historically, dietetics as a profession placed little scholarly emphasis on: the antecedents of food consumption,issues of food quality beyond nutrient content
• there had been little engagement with the food system and its impact on consumers’ abilities to ‘eat right’
• cd is based on civic agriculture
• concepts underlying civic dietetics emerged 20 years ago with Gussow and Clancy’s ‘sustainable diets’

Question 4

Discuss the relationship between civic dietetics and HE

Answer 4

• civic dietetics closely resembles the early years of Home Economics
• Move from focus on direct human health outcomes associated with specific patterns of nutrient intake to what comes before the consumer subsystem
• Move from focus on nutrition education and dietary advice to more attention on 1. food choice context, 2. food environment, 3. role consumers play in shaping the system, 4. Producers, distributors, inputs and resources, outputs and waste, ecologic and community health
• big picture thinking

Question 5

define/explain: the ‘triple bottom line’ of the food system, civic dietetics

Answer 5

• 1. economic 2.ecological, and 3. social sustainability

- matters as much as the nutritional value of its products

Question 6

Identify weaknesses of the profession and its professionals

Answer 6

• HEc profession is generally not well understood
• position of HEc within the education system is uncertain
• continuing perception that it is a woman’s profession
• lack of political skills among professionals
• relatively short history and (relatively) unaware of history it has
• no well known intellectual leaders (like Freud or Darwin) or folk heroes (like Florence Nightingale)
• subject matter is concrete, specific, and familiar (rather than abstract or symbolic)
• populated primarily by women (but this can also be perceived as a strength!)

Question 7

Identify strengths of the profession and its professionals

Answer 7

HEc is a holistic field in a specialist world

• broad recognition of the importance of integration skills to solve complex problems (research, education, health care)
• HEc is a discipline for everyday life
• basic HEc skills are still much needed
• subject matter is socially important and its professionals are socially necessary
• answers people’s questions in language they can understand
• is in touch with reality, with what really happens in real people’s lives

Question 8

Describe practical actions that can be taken by home economists

Answer 8

1. Communication, consensus approach, more dialogues, language that respects holism
2. Nature of meetings, meet regularly, small groups to share stories, collectives instead of hierarchies, more cooperation, food at meetings for community feeling
3. Preserve heritage, make a concerted effort to record and preserve the profession’s story
4. Focus of work, listen to the less privileged, focus on diversity & dist of power/wealth/resources, empower yourself
   - Keep family, women, and community issues on the political agenda to balance the current focus on corporations

Question 9

Should we place more emphasis on the private or public value of home economics? Why?

Answer 9

• place more emphasis on the public value of our profession
• in response to increased focus on
  1. Accountability
  2. Evidence-based outcomes
  3. Return on investment

Question 10

Discuss factors influencing children’s developmental health.

Answer 10

Requires a holistic understanding of

• physical health
• mental health
• social and emotional competences
• cognitive abilities and skills
• educational attainment

Question 11

Why focus on developmental health?

Answer 11

• strongly & consistently associated with higher likelihood of positive outcomes later in life, ex. educational achievement, professional success, better health
• and lower likelihood of negative outcomes, ex. unemployment, criminal behaviour, early mortality
• current systems address single aspects of development, leads to fragmented & uncoordinated care, but outcomes are interconnected

Question 12

Why is home economics poised to lead in promoting developmental health?

Answer 12

• Supports health promotion
• Enhances family functioning
• Supports decision-making that optimizes personal and family benefits
• Understands how families are changing and what their needs are
• HEc’s and related professionals are agents of knowledge transfer and of change