Implementation of a Nutrition‐Education Program Designed to Improve the Diets of Low Income Underserved Populations
Authors: Corcoran Michael P , Keighley Patrick 
Published: November 2023

Objective

To assess whether a short four‐week nutrition education program improves the dietary intake of low income families living in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts.

Methods

All recruitment, measurements, and intervention activities took place at a local YMCA. Participants were eligible if they were 18–64 years of age, a parent or primary care giver (PCG) of a child under the age of 18 years, not enrolled in any other nutrition education program, and had a total household income ≤ 185% of the federal poverty level. All participants gave written consent to participate and all protocols were approved by the Merrimack College Institutional Review Board. Eligible PCGs were asked to complete a Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ‐II), consisting of 140 questions pertaining to eating behavior. The research personnel brought lifelike food replica models, which displayed appropriate serving sizes, to aid in the accurate completion of this questionnaire. The nutrition education program consisted of four 1‐ hour meetings held once/week. Topics of the program included the basics of healthy eating, how to shop (area‐specific), and general tips. Following completion of the 4‐week program, participants were reassessed using the DHQ‐II. Mean, standard deviation, and range were calculated for daily servings of the following food groups: vegetables (total and by color), fruits (total and by color), nuts and legumes, dairy, and soft drinks. Means were then compared with the recommended servings/day of that group as recommended in both the 2010 and 2015 dietary guideline reports. To determine the effectiveness of the 4‐week program, we conducted a t‐paired analysis, comparing baseline measurements with post‐program measurements.

Results

Seven families (5 Hispanic, 1 African American, and 1 Caucasian) were recruited for this study. All PCGs who attended the program were female, mean age was 40 years (range; 29–51 years old), and supported on average, two children. Participants cited several barriers to healthy eating, specifically time, expense, and supporting dependents that were “picky‐eaters.” At baseline, 1 PCG met the recommendation for vegetables and 2 PCGs met the recommendation for fruits. No other recommendations were met (nuts, legumes, dairy). Participants consumed on average 1 soft drink/day (mean serving size, 11.4 ounces). After the program, vegetable consumption increased by 0.7 servings/day (orange and yellow vegetables), p<0.05. Fruit consumption increased by 0.9 servings/day (orange and yellow fruits), however this effect was not statistically significant. Four participants met the recommendations for fruit. Soft drink consumption decreased by 0.7 servings per day (not significant).

Conclusions

A four‐week nutrition education program for PCGs of low income families was effective in improving consumption or orange and yellow vegetables. These results are encouraging given the limitations of the study, namely the short duration and low sample number. We also do not know if any of the changes observed will be maintained now that the program has ended. Despite these questions and limitations, we provide evidence that a short‐ duration nutrition education program can improve the diets of low income individuals.

Support or Funding Information

This research was supported by a faculty development grant through Merrimack College.