Describe the first key (step) in planning/implementing a nutrition education intervention.

The first key in planning a nutrition intervention includes conducting a thorough needs assessment to understand an audience. This includes (1) assessing health needs, including disease prevalence, mortality rates, disability issues, and physical symptoms of the target audience through literature reviews , results of national and local surveys, and findings from epidemiological studies and health records; (2) assessing educational needs including an evaluation of knowledge, atti tudes, motivational level, self-efficacy, and skills of the target audience; (3) assessing resource needs including an evaluation of food availability, income, lifestyle factors, food prices, transportation resources, cook ing facilities, social support, and availability of food assistance programs; and assessing (4) developmental needs including an evaluation of intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of the target audience. All of these factors need to be assessed to plan an ap propriate intervention.