Identification of a Framework for Best Practices in Nutrition Education for Low-Income Audiences

Susan Baker; Garry Auld; Alice Ammerman; Barbara Lohse; Elena Serrano; Mary Kay Wardlaw

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2019.12.007

Identification of a Framework for Best Practices in Nutrition Education for Low-Income Audiences

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020 May;52(5):546-552. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.12.007. Epub 2020 Jan 18.

Authors

Susan Baker¹, Garry Auld², Alice Ammerman³, Barbara Lohse⁴, Elena Serrano⁵, Mary Kay Wardlaw⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO. Electronic address: susan.baker@colostate.edu.
² Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO.
³ Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC; Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health and School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
⁴ Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, NEEDs Center, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY.
⁵ Department of Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
⁶ University of Wyoming Extension, Laramie, WY.

PMID: 31959466
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.12.007

Abstract

To promote effective low-income nutrition education programs, an expert panel of nutrition education and public health researchers built consensus around 28 best practices grouped into 5 domains (Program Design, Program Delivery, Educator Characteristics, Educator Training, and Evaluation) targeting direct delivery of nutrition education. These best practices can be used to assess program strengths, promote fidelity in delivery and evaluation, and design research to strengthen programs' evidence base. A survey of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education nutrition education leaders helped identify staff development needs and interest relative to specific best practices. Best practices can be used to identify staff development needs among frontline educators, supervisors, and program leaders in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, and other programs targeting low-income audiences.

Keywords: behavior change; best practices; limited resource audiences; low-income; nutrition education.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Food Assistance
Health Behavior / physiology*
Health Promotion / methods*
Health Promotion / organization & administration
Humans
Models, Organizational
Poverty*