Applying a Multi-Dimensional Digital Food and Nutrition Literacy Model to Inform Research and Policies to Enable Adults in the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to Make Healthy Purchases in the Online Food Retail Ecosystem.

Vivica I. Kraak,Katherine Consavage Stanley,Paige B. Harrigan,Elena L. Serrano

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168335

Vivica I. Kraak, Katherine Consavage Stanley + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168335

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Abstract

The United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture (USDA)-administered Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) made substantial changes in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These changes highlight the need to identify the digital literacy skills and capacities of SNAP adults to purchase healthy groceries online. We conducted a scoping review of four electronic databases, Google and Google Scholar to identify studies that measured food and nutrition literacy outcomes for U.S. adults. We applied a multi-dimensional digital food and nutrition literacy (MDFNL) model to assess six literacy levels and components. Of 18 studies published from 2006–2021, all measured functional and interactive literacy but no study measured communicative, critical, translational, or digital literacy. Six studies examined SNAP or SNAP-Education outcomes. Adults with higher food or nutrition literacy scores had better cognitive, behavioral, food security and health outcomes. We suggest how these findings may inform research, policies, and actions to strengthen the multi-dimensional literacy skills of SNAP participants and SNAP-eligible adults to support healthy purchases in the online food retail ecosystem.

Highlights

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout the United States (U.S.) and globally in late 2019 through 2021
By December 2020, 11 million Americans had transitioned into poverty after losing their jobs and depleting the short-term emergency funds provided by the federal government through the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act [5,6]
Limited literature exists that assesses the nutrition and/or food literacy status of Americans, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) adults, and no literature was identified that evaluates

Summary

Introduction

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout the United States (U.S.) and globally in late 2019 through 2021. By June 2021, COVID-19 had infected over 33 million. During 2020, COVID-19 profoundly weakened the food and nutrition security for American households. U.S households with children experienced food insufficiency and adverse mental health outcomes [2]. Many Americans struggled to pay their monthly rent, credit card bills, or other debts, and depleted their savings accounts or could not afford medical care [3,4]. By December 2020, 11 million Americans had transitioned into poverty after losing their jobs and depleting the short-term emergency funds provided by the federal government through the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act [5,6].

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