Angela Abbott

Assessment of Low-Income Adults' Access to Technology: Implications for Nutrition Education.

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to investigate access and use of technologies such as the Internet among Indianas low-income population. The secondary objective was to determine whether access and use of computers significantly differed by age, race, and/or education level. METHODS Data were collected from low-income adult Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education participants for a 2-year period using a cross-sectional questionnaire about access and use of technology. RESULTS Approximately 50% of the total respondents (n = 1,620) indicated that they had a working computer in their home, and of those, the majority (78%) had a high-speed Internet connection. Chi-square analysis revealed that younger adults who were white and had more education were more likely to have a computer (P < .001) and Internet. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The results of this study provide evidence that using Internet-based nutrition education in a low-income population is a viable and possibly cost-effective option.

A quasi-experimental study to mobilize rural low-income communities to assess and improve the ecological environment to prevent childhood obesity

BackgroundThe Ecological Model of Childhood Overweight focuses on characteristics that could affect a child’s weight status in relation to the multiple environments surrounding that child. A community coaching approach allows community groups to identify their own strengths, priorities and identity. Little to no research currently exists related to community-based efforts inclusive of community coaching in creating environmental change to prevent childhood obesity particularly in rural communities.MethodsA quasi-experimental study will be conducted with low-income, rural communities (n = 14) in the North Central region of the United States to mobilize capacity in communities to create and sustain an environment of healthy eating and physical activity to prevent childhood obesity. Two rural communities within seven Midwestern states (IN, KS, MI, OH, ND, SD, WI) will be randomly assigned to serve as an intervention or comparison community. Coalitions will complete assessments of their communities, choose from evidence-based approaches, and implement nutrition and physical activity interventions each year to prevent childhood obesity with emphasis on policy, system or environmental changes over four years. Only intervention coalitions will receive community coaching from a trained coach. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, annually and project end using previously validated instruments and include coalition self-assessments, parental perceptions regarding the built environment, community, neighborhood, and early childhood environments, self-reflections from coaches and project staff, ripple effect mapping with coalitions and, final interviews of key stakeholders and coaches. A mixed-methods analysis approach will be used to evaluate if Community Coaching enhances community capacity to create and sustain an environment to support healthy eating and physical activity for young children. ANOVA or corresponding non-parametric tests will be used to analyze quantitative data relating to environmental change with significance set at P < .05. Dominant emergent themes from the qualitative data will be weaved together with quantitative data to develop a theoretical model representing how communities were impacted by the project.DiscussionThis project will yield data and best practices that could become a model for community development based approaches to preventing childhood obesity in rural communities.