P131 Identifying SNAP Participant Experiences and Environments to Inform Tailored SNAP-Ed Programming

Abstract

The SNAP-Ed program aims to ensure low-income populations are able to meet dietary guidelines through nutrition education and changing policies, systems, and environments (PSE) within diverse settings. Little is known about SNAP participants’ experiences with SNAP-Ed in South Carolina or about their food and activity environments. This study aims to identify SNAP participants’ experiences and environments to inform tailored programming strategies. A telephone survey was conducted with 2,000 randomly-selected SC SNAP participants. Descriptive analyses were conducted for all survey questions. The majority of respondents had not heard of SNAP-Ed (85.5%), and the majority of respondents who had heard of the program had not participated (88.8%). Most respondents procured food from grocery stores (90.2%), big box stores (71.7%), or dollar stores (63.9%). In a typical week, respondents most often visited places to get food (70.8%) or other household items (61.4%), places of worship (59.5%), and health care centers (57.2%). Respondents were most likely to find out about things in their community through television news (72.5%), family and friends (71.7%), and via word of mouth (65.7%). The majority of respondents (74%) were found to be at risk of food insecurity, and 46% of respondents reported that they did not have reliable transportation at some point during the past year. SNAP participant responses indicate the need for promoting the program through television news and tapping into social networks; providing programming at food retail outlets, places of worship, and health care centers; and focusing PSE efforts on increasing food security and transportation access. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education.