Maximizing the Impact of Nutrition Education to Meet the Dietary Quality and Food Security Needs of Children and Parents
Purdue University
Summary
Food insecurity and low diet quality are persistent problems linked with chronic disease and poor health among limited-resource children and adults using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We have shown nutrition education via adult-focused, direct SNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed) improved household food security by 25% but not adult dietary quality among SNAP-eligible households using a randomized, controlled, longitudinal SNAP-Ed intervention in Indiana. Households experiencing food insecurity often reserve food considered "healthful" for children, so child dietary quality improvement may precede that observed among adults when household food security improves. This study will determine the effect of adult-focused direct SNAP-Ed on child dietary quality and household food security using a longitudinal randomized, controlled SNAP-Ed intervention. Assessment will include repeated 24-hour dietary recalls to determine usual intake, the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module, and behavior data from before and after the 10-week "intervention period," and 1 year later, after which the control group will receive the intervention. Low-income participants (n=275) from Indiana will be recruited following SNAP-Ed protocol. Results of the study will inform the creation of supplementary on-demand SNAP-Ed educational material focused on improving healthful dietary intake for children and adults in situations of food insecurity in households with children. Education on modeling healthy attitudes and behaviors, planning and preparing family meals, and dietary shortfalls as informed by the results and previous evidence will be included and evaluated. The study aligns with the goals of USDA to increase food security and this RFP to improve healthful behaviors, food quality and nutrition.
Description
The goals of SNAP-Ed are to "improve the likelihood that persons eligible for SNAP will make healthy choices… consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans." Our recent review found four studies evaluating household food security as an outcome of direct adult SNAP-Ed with evidence considered strong because of our studies that used randomized and controlled study designs and assessment using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM).We showed that nutrition education via adult-focused, direct SNAP-Ed improved household food security by 25% among SNAP-eligible househo…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 5+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * households in Indiana * households with children * English speaking * eligible to receive SNAP (≥18 years and household income at or below 130% of the poverty guideline) * willing to allow a child 5-18 years to participate * willing to participate in the study and wait 1 year to receive SNAP-Ed Exclusion Criteria: * not have received SNAP-Ed lessons in the past year * not pregnant or lactating (due to inherent dietary changes)
Interventions
- Behavioralthe Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education is federal nutrition education provided in all U.S. states to the SNAP-eligible population.
Location
- Heather Eicher-MillerWest Lafayette, Indiana