Assessment of an Online Nutrition Education Program to Improve Mealtime Practices Among Families Receiving SNAP and WIC

Abstract

Purpose This study examines if participation in an online nutrition education program holds promise for improving mealtime practices in families using SNAP and WIC. Design Pre-post self-report surveys. Setting Digital program delivered online, nationally in the United States. Sample Two hundred fifty-seven parents receiving SNAP and/or WIC. Intervention Parents signed up to participate in Affordable Flavors, an online self-guided 30-day meal plan, developed by culturally diverse dietitians, aligned with the Dietary Guidelines, and linked with social media support. Measures Overall program utilization and acceptability were assessed along with parent meal preparation practices, diet quality of meals served to children, self-efficacy, mealtime stress, grocery spending, and food insecurity. Analysis Paired t-tests (continuous variables) and McNemar’s tests (categorical variables). Results Overall program utilization and acceptability were high. Participants reported improvements in meal preparation practices (t(255) = 6.6, P < .001), diet quality of meals served to children (t(245) = 4.0, P < .001), and self-efficacy (t(251) = 10.0, P < .001), and decreases in grocery spending (t(175) = -4.3, P < .001), mealtime stress (t(256) = -8.8, P < .001) and food insecurity (26.8% vs 10.9%, P < .001). Conclusion Affordable Flavors is an acceptable, cost-effective, and easily disseminatable program that holds promise for improving parent self-efficacy to prepare and serve healthy meals to children and increase diet quality in families receiving SNAP and WIC. Engaging online nutrition education programs that can be used by a variety of health professionals, especially in settings where direct nutrition education services are not feasible or cost prohibitive, are needed.