The Effectiveness of the Good Affordable Food Intervention for Adults with Low Socioeconomic Status and Small Incomes.

Kathelijne M H H Bessems,Marion Lomme,Evelyne Linssen,Patricia Van Assema

doi:10.3390/ijerph17072535

Kathelijne M H H Bessems, Marion Lomme + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072535

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Abstract

Good Affordable Food (GAF) is a small-group nutrition education intervention for adults with low socioeconomic status and small incomes. It aims to empower participants to save money on groceries and consume healthier diets. This paper reports the short-term and longer-term effects on behavioural determinants and self-reported behavioural changes. A quasi-experimental control group design was applied with a baseline measurement, a post-test immediately after the intervention, and a follow-up measurement after six months. The study included 237 participants (intervention group: n = 131; control group: n = 106) at baseline, 197 at post-test, and 152 at follow-up. Data were collected by telephone, mostly using closed interview questions. Positive short-term and longer-term effects were found for attitude towards the costs of healthy foods, food label use, and the use of liquid butter or oil to prepare hot meals. Short-term intervention effects related to knowledge towards saving money on groceries, self-efficacy towards healthy eating, portion size awareness, and mindful eating. GAF was effective in changing some determinants and behaviours related to cost and food consumption, however, mostly in the short term. Thereby, it is an example of combining pricing and health information in nutrition education that developers of effective nutrition education for low-income groups can build on.

Highlights

The promotion of healthy diets is one of the key priorities for the prevention of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [1]
There was no significant difference in drop out between the intervention group (IG) and the control group (CG)
The findings indicate that Good Affordable Food (GAF) has been effective in changing some determinants and behaviours related to cost and food consumption, though mostly in the short term

Summary

Introduction

The promotion of healthy diets is one of the key priorities for the prevention of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [1]. Unhealthy diets are often a result of a combination of unfortunate life situations that are concurrent with low SES, for example limited financial resources [6,7], increased psychological distress [8], and low health literacy [9,10,11]. Many of these issues are intertwined and unlikely to be solved health literacy is considered to be a changeable determinant that could be targeted to improve healthy food consumption [12] and, thereby, decrease socioeconomic disparities in health [13].

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