Abstract
How best to deliver healthy-eating education through social media among a low-income population remains understudied. To assess the impact of the Cooking Matters (CM) Facebook page on healthy eating behaviors among low-income caregivers, we conducted a pre–post survey of new CM Facebook followers in early 2020. A convenience sample was recruited at baseline from WICShopper app users and the CM Facebook page. The recruited sample included 397 low-income caregivers of a child younger than 6 who never followed CM Facebook. Among the baseline caregivers, 184 completed the follow-up survey. Paired t-test and McNemar–Bowker tests were conducted to compare the outcomes pre- and post-following CM Facebook. A binary indicator was developed to measure whether the outcomes were improved (1 = Improved; 0 = Not improved). Multi-variable logistic regressions were applied to examine the relationship between whether the outcome was improved with reference to the baseline socio-demographics. No significant differences were detected between pre and post outcomes overall (p > 0.05), except improvement in feeding healthy meals within the budget available (p < 0.05). However, improvement in select outcomes was more significant in men and single-parent households. The CM Facebook page could be an important platform to influence low-income caregivers of young children.
Highlights
IntroductionHealthy eating behaviors in early childhood are important determinants of food preference and dietary quality in later stages of life, which can be linked with a decreased risk for obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases [1] low-income children in the U.S suffer disproportionally from poor dietary quality [2]
This study demonstrated that more than 90% of respondents in the baseline survey still followed the Cooking Matters (CM) Facebook page after 2 months, while more than half of them thought the page impacted their food-related activities and overall life
New followers actively interacted with various components of the CM Facebook page
Summary
Healthy eating behaviors in early childhood are important determinants of food preference and dietary quality in later stages of life, which can be linked with a decreased risk for obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and other diseases [1] low-income children in the U.S suffer disproportionally from poor dietary quality [2]. Given the synergetic correlations between caregivers’ and children’s dietary behaviors, it is important to implement effective interventions in early childhood among low-income families [3]. Multiple barriers in the food environment, such as access to food resources, and misconceptions about what qualifies as healthy foods or the belief that persistent eating can reduce hunger prevent low-income caregivers from adopting the appropriate healthy eating behaviors in their households [4,5]. How to deliver healthy-eating education effectively to these caregivers is important in research and practice
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