Food eTalk

Food eTalk targets pregnant/breastfeeding women, parents, adults, and older adults in a variety of settings. Prior to the development of Food eTalk, UGA SNAP-Ed registered dietitians and researchers conducted a systematic needs assessment at pilot phase using a prototype of Food eTalk. Individual interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups with members of the priority audience (i.e., SNAP-Ed eligible adult Georgians) were interviewed to elicit impressions and feedback on the prototype of Food eTalk. In FY18, 545/655 (83.2%) eLearners were SNAP-Ed eligible based on several criteria including zip code and public assistance participation status. eLearning lessons can be accessed anywhere Internet is available, increasing the availability exponentially beyond traditional classroom-based education to SNAP-Ed eligible adults. Settings: Community-wide, Faith-based centers, Food pantries, Healthcare, Retail, Worksites Age/Population Group: Pregnant/Breastfeeding, Parents/Caregivers, Adults, Older Adults Race: All Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino Origin, Not of Hispanic or Latino Origin

Food eTalk includes 6 interactive web-based modules. These modules include participant-paced lessons, cooking demonstration videos, and just-in-time nutrition education videos. Participants can complete the lessons in any order, and each lesson takes ~25 minutes to complete in entirety. Internet access is required, so it may be prudent to offer loaned devices with Internet or share Wifi code with participants should data plan limitations exist. An example would include Wifi at a safety-net clinic or a subsidized housing facility.

This online, mobile-device friendly interactive nutrition education program is the first of its kind tailored for the needs of SNAP-Ed eligible individuals. The 6 eLearning modules are augmented by cooking videos and "just in time" videos which focus on point-of-decision making education, such as choosing healthful bread and milk in the supermarket. A short online tutorial as to how to access and navigate Food eTalk is available here at no charge.

Needs assessment and process evaluation findings have been published (see links below). The outcomes evaluation for Food eTalk showed significant improvement in participants' attitudes related to diet, exercise, and food resource management. Among Food eTalk users, 50% reported improved confidence to practice at least one healthy behavior (e.g., find the amount of sodium or fat on a label, exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week, practice safe food handling techniques, etc.). Published research: E-Learning Nutrition Education Program for Low-Income Adults: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders The Feasibility of an eLearning Nutrition Education Program for Low-Income Individuals A mixed-methods evaluation using low-income adult Georgians' experience with a smartphone-based eLearning nutrition education programme Development of an Online Smartphone-Based eLearning Nutrition Education Program for Low-Income Individuals Evidence Base: Research-tested

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.   Readiness and Capacity - Short Term (ST) Changes - Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance - Long Term (LT) Population Results (R) Individual ST1 , ST2 , ST3 , ST4 MT2     Environmental Settings       Sectors of Influence       ST1a: 95.1% "agree" or "strongly agree" that they plan to eat more fruit ST1b: 89.9% "agree" or "strongly agree" that they plan to eat more vegetables ST1e: After taking the lesson, 42.6% reported improved confidence to choose lower fat dairy ST1m: After taking the lesson, 36.3% reported improved confidence to choose foods/beverages with less sodium ST2b: After taking the lesson, 35.9% reported improved confidence to read a label and find the sodium ST2b: After taking the lesson, 38.7% reported improved confidence to read a label and find the fat ST3a: After taking the lesson, 54.0% reported improved confidence to exercise for 30 minutes most days ST4: After taking the lesson, 32.7% reported improved confidence to practice safe food handling techniques (techniques (clean, separate, cook, chill) MT2b. Percent meeting guideline for comparing labels significantly increased from 43.8% to 61.6%

Evaluation materials include participant online pre-test/post-test surveys and 9 post-module surveys, which include measures adopted from nationally representative surveys and validated measures recommended by the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework. These surveys are embedded within the eLearning lessons and available for use. Data sharing agreements can be established with UGA SNAP-Ed for additional institutions/organizations who wish to use Food eTalk and the data collected by the existing evaluation surveys.

Website: The Food eTalk website ( https://www.foodtalk.org/ ) includes a blog, recipes, videos, food glossary, and SNAP-Ed Resources. Contact Person(s): Jung Sun Lee, PhD, RDN Principle Investigator, University of Georgia Email: leejs@uga.edu     *Updated as of August 28, 2023