AGRICOLA FNI 87002508, Nutrition education and counseling are dependent upon effective communication between the sender and receiver of the message. The sociolinguistic technique of the study of ethnography of communication can be used to illustrate how differences between communication patterns of clients and nutrition educators of different ethnic backgrounds can affect nutrition education interactions. Ethnic groups considered in this study are native Canadian clients of the Ojibwa and Cree tribes and nutrition educators who are non-native-Euro-Canadians. Sociolinguistic factors that are considered include 1) the event itself, 2) the meaning and use of verbal and nonverbal communication, 3) the presentation of self and question-asking, 4) the distribution of talk, and 5) question-and-answering etiquette. The following are suggestions provided to help nutrition educators begin using ethnography of communication methods: 1) examining personal cultural backgrounds and speech communities to become aware of how messages are received and sent, 2) becoming aware of differences between personal culturally specific language patterns and those of clients, through participation, observation, and inquiry, and 3) taping, transcribing, and reviewing dietary interviews for additional indications of communication differences.(aje).
