Expectations from Low‐Income Adults Regarding an Innovative Nutrition Education eLearning Program

Abstract

As a step in a comprehensive multi‐year formative and process evaluation of a newly developed eLearning nutrition education program targeted to SNAP‐Ed eligible adults in Georgia (southeastern USA), this study intended to obtain qualitative understanding on expectations and desires of the program from the point‐of‐view of members of the target audience regarding both format and content. Low‐income adult Georgians were recruited to participate in a series of two focus groups. This study reports the findings from the first in this series based on the participants’ expectations of the eLearning program, which informed the iterative development process of the program, titled Food eTalk. Four focus groups were conducted in a convenience sample (n=25, age 41.5 ± 15.5 years, 96% female, 60% Black, 20% Hispanic). Participants from both rural and urban areas of Georgia described their Internet access as reliable and easily available both at home and through multitude of free WiFi sources in their communities. They discussed inexpensive online access though their smartphone using free WiFi or at a computer at the public library. When asked about the format of Food eTalk, participants prefer short lessons with interactive activities, videos, and the option to pause and resume a lesson where they left off. In response to what content they wanted in the Food eTalk lessons, participants discussed the need to expand beyond traditional basic nutrition education. Every focus group included a participant‐generated discussion about the specific need for diabetes diet information. Participants suggested that basic nutrition education, such as Choose My Plate, does not provide enough information to increase their knowledge nor does basic nutrition education address their actual barriers to eating healthfully. Barriers to eating healthfully include: limited food budget, high cost of fresh produce and low cost of ‘processed’ food, cultural taste preferences that have become habitual though generations, and resistance to change with regard to diet practices. To mitigate the last two barriers, participants discussed the need for education on how to cook healthier meals and tips on how to acculturate their children to prefer healthier foods. Finally, food safety was discussed at length and included concern about safety/hygiene of food when dining out, distrust in genetically modified food, and fears of antibiotic/steroid use in animals raised for food. The implications of this qualitative study are to assist in developing a user‐centered nutrition education eLearning program using an iterative process including members of the target audience in program development.Support or Funding InformationThis project is funded by USDA SNAP Ed