Abstract
Direct education programs, including the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), target personal barriers to enable behavior change. However, an opportunity exists to pursue a holistic policy, systems, and environment approach by targeting some environmental barriers (limited availability, high cost, safety, lack of transportation, and challenges caused by poor weather). The Western Regional Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Center of Excellence initiated a study to gather perspectives of EFNEP paraprofessional educators on how environmental barriers affect EFNEP participants and environmental changes which could be made to encourage more healthful participant behaviors. Ten telephone focus groups were held with fifty EFNEP educators from ten states during April and May of 2016. Focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and independently coded by two reviewers to identify recurring themes. Educators provided valuable anecdotal evidence regarding environmental barriers and generated potential solutions for specific barriers based on examples from their communities. For example, potential solutions to the availability barrier include creating mobile farmers’ markets, partnering with volunteer groups to provide free food delivery from food banks or retailers to areas with limited access, working with alternative retailers to offer produce in urban areas, providing seeds to encourage home gardening, or facilitating development of or participation in community gardens. Results will guide additional research and inform development of environmental support activities for direct education programs reaching low-income participants. Activities will aim to empower participants to change environmental barriers in their micro-environments.
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