Expectations and Recommendations from Low‐Income Adults Regarding an eLearning Nutrition Education Program Prior to Program Use

Abstract

This study reports findings from the formative evaluation of a new eLearning nutrition education program, titled Food eTalk, developed for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program‐Education (SNAP‐Ed) eligible adults in Georgia (southeastern USA). A mixed‐methods case study approach was employed to understand feasibility and expectations of Food eTalk from the perspective of members of the priority audience. A purposeful convenience sample of 64 low‐income adult Georgians were recruited for a series of 2 focus groups (n=45) or 3 individual interviews (n=19) (age 39 ± 14 years, 97% female, 34% Black, 11% Latina, 61% SNAP recipients, 80% living with children ≤ 18 years old, 81% reported daily Internet access using their smartphone). We report findings from the first focus groups and individual interviews in these series prior to the participants' exposure to Food eTalk. The moderator guide included questions about: baseline Internet habits, current nutrition education resources, expectations of Food eTalk, and recommendations for content and format. Analysis of the verbatim‐transcribed interviews was guided by an inductive constant‐comparison coding method to construct prominent themes. Three major themes include: 1) concerns of relevance of Food eTalk content, 2) barriers making eating healthfully difficult, and 3) common practices of eLearning on a smartphone. Participants who attended previous eLearning ‘classes’ through job‐training, general educational development (GED) programs, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) speculated Food eTalk would be: too long, ‘boring’ and content would be a ‘basic review’. Participants ardently discussed a myriad of barriers they face to eating and feeding their family healthfully. They described typical smartphone use for nutrition or health information as ‘really quick’ to answer a specific question. Participants were eager for recipes, ways to make traditional Southern dishes healthier, and information on diabetes and weight loss. Content including solutions to commonly discussed barriers, such as improving diet quality for children who are ‘picky’ eaters, may be well received. Participants suggested unless Food eTalk is mandatory, the best way to engage users would be to offer financial incentives such as food coupons. Because of the nature of mobile device usage (quick, contextual, specific), it is imperative eLearning nutrition education programs employ a format in which content answers particular and timely questions. The findings from this study suggest Food eTalk, a voluntary nutrition education program, include a just‐in‐time format with relevant content as perceived by the priority audience, rather than standard nutrition education messages and formats typically adopted in SNAP‐Ed programs. This study informs the iterative development of Food eTalk, to best serve the nutrition education needs and enhance smartphone‐based program engagement of our priority audience.Support or Funding InformationThis project is funded by USDA SNAP‐Ed and RNECE‐South Innovation Sub Award