Usage and Recall of the Food Stamp Office Resource Kit (FSORK) by Food Stamp Applicants in 4 California Counties

Abstract

Objective To evaluate recall and usage of the Food Stamp Office Resource Kit (FSORK), a set of nutrition education materials designed for use in food stamp offices. Design Client intercept exit surveys, an environmental scan, and individual observations of clients in the food stamp office. Setting Four food stamp offices in California. Participants People applying for food stamps in community social service offices: exit survey (n = 419), environmental scan (n = 308), individual observations of video (n = 111). Intervention FSORK includes a video, poster, recipe cards, and brochures for the waiting room. Main Outcome Measure(s) Aided and unaided recall of FSORK materials, self-efficacy, video attention (eyes on screen), and observations of materials usage. Analysis Descriptive statistics for recall, usage, and video attention. Results Nearly 70% of clients recalled, unaided, at least 1 FSORK element with the video recalled the most. In the observation study, of clients who initially engaged with the video, 40% of their viewing time was spent “watching” it. Conclusions and Implications Food stamp offices are a useful setting for nutrition education in offices that are willing and able to display the materials and show the video.