"I hope I got the real vitamins," former Nicholson Mayor Geneva Nix says about a research project led by Foods and Nutrition Professor Mary Ann Johnson. "I'm anxious to take the memory test to see if it's gotten better, then I'll know if I've gotten the real ones."

   The "vitamin guessing game" has provided a new distraction for the regulars at the Jackson County Senior Citizens Center. More than 150 are participating in the research, helping Johnson and her colleagues determine whether increasing the levels of vitamin B-12 can enhance the hearing and cognitive abilities of older citizens.

   "We know that a lack of B-12 is related to poor cognition and hearing," Johnson explains. "Now, we want to see what happens when you replenish it, and how high a dose is required."

   The study began in January and includes six different senior centers around Georgia. Researchers will finish gathering data this fall and begin analyzing it.

Study participants include Geneva Nix, 75, and researchers Jean Edwards (top) and Dr. Kelly Shea-Mille r(not pictured).

   Nikki Hawthorne, a FACS alumna who is a registered and licensed dietitian, is the lead nutritionist and overall project director. Others involved include, Dr. L. Stephen Miller, UGA Department of Psychology, who is making the cognitive assessments; and Dr. Kelly Shea-Miller and Dr. Al DeChicchis, UGA Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, who are conducting the hearing assessments. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta also have been very supportive of this study and are conducting many of the blood tests.

   The vitamin study is one of several foods and nutrition projects that are combining research and service.

   "I think this is a wonderful project," says Shirley Smith, director of the Jack-son County Senior Citizens Center. "We participated in a nutrition and exercise project a year ago and we still have one of our participants lead an exercise class every day and we've continued to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into our menus."

   In the current study, the participants also have received extensive blood work and hearing tests in addition to the vitamins.

   "We received much better blood work than we could anywhere else," Nix says. "My doctor was very impressed when I took all that information to him. Also, I got to find out that my hearing was normal and my husband, Wilson, found out he needed hearing aids and has gotten them."

   "Four years ago we began looking at the nutrition problems of older citizens," Johnson says. "We found out there is a high prevalence of B-12 and D vitamin deficiency. There also are high rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension."

   With the aging of the Baby Boom generation, the percentage of Americans who are 60 or older is rising steadily. By 2030, up to 25 percent of Americans will be 60 years or older.

   In addition to exploring the effects of adding B-12 back into their diets, Johnson and her colleagues also are looking for other ways to improve nutrition for older citizens.

   In a cooperative study with the North Carolina and Georgia Extension Services, Johnson is implementing a nutrition education program in 25 senior centers in Georgia. The training is provided by county agents, such as Judy Bland in Tift County.

   "It's important that those who design education programs have a thorough understanding of our audience," Bland says. "For example, we had one curriculum that was way too heavy on filling out forms. The seniors we work with were not going to do that. There are also issues such as the reading level of materials. Again, it needs to be at the level of our clientele."

   Johnson and her fellow researchers plan to reach 1,000 seniors in this study and see if the education program changes their dietary habits. In particular, the program is focusing on meals that are served in congregate settings, such as at senior centers, and programs such as Meals on Wheels.

   In Georgia, these meal programs serve more than 45,000 people each year. Most people receive five meals each week which means more than 11 million meals are served each year in Georgia alone.

   "This is a great opportunity and challenge to help improve the nutritional health of older adults in Georgia," Johnson says.

   While some seniors are highly motivated to improve their nutrition and exercise habits, others are slower to motivate.

   "For many of our older adults, transportation and money are an issue," Johnson says. "We have to be sensitive. Also, we have to come up with fun and interesting ways to help them."

   In addition to targeting older adults directly, Johnson also is working on a project that educates those who prepare the foods.

   "Not everyone who works with older people understands nutrition," Johnson points out. As part of this education effort, county Extension agents and staff with the Georgia Department of Human Resources' Division of Aging Services are working with registered dietitians to educate the directors at senior centers on nutrition issues.

   "As a part of this project, we're developing a nutrition information website for educators that will include lesson plans that can be used in a range of settings," Johnson says. "In a second phase of this project, we plan to expand the website and include nutrition and health information, recipes and handouts that the directors of senior centers can use both in their center's program and meal planning and to educate older people on these issues."

   Back at the Jackson County Senior Citizens Center, Director Shirley Smith says she's ready to join any project sponsored by Johnson and her colleagues.

   "I know we're doing another project in the spring," she says. "I've told them anytime there's a project, we want to be involved."