Heidi LeBlanc

Developing an online certification program for nutrition education assistants.

OBJECTIVE To develop an online certification program for nutrition education paraprofessionals to increase knowledge and confidence and to overcome training barriers of programming time and travel expenses. DESIGN An online interactive certification course based on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program core competencies was delivered to employees of both programs. Traditional vs online training was compared. Course content validity was determined through expert review by registered dietitians. Parameters studied included increase of nutrition knowledge and teaching technique/ability, educator satisfaction, and programming costs related to training. SETTING Utah State University Extension. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-two Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education and Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program educators in Utah. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Knowledge and skills were measured using pre/posttest statistics. Participant satisfaction was measured with a survey. ANALYSIS Paired t test; satisfaction survey. RESULTS The change in paraprofessional knowledge score was statistically significant (P < .001). Forty percent of paraprofessionals strongly agreed and 60% agreed they were better prepared as nutrition educators because of the training. An estimated

Understanding the Experiences of Low-Income Individuals Receiving Farmers’ Market Incentives in the United States: A Qualitative Study

16,000 was saved by providing the training online as compared to a face-to-face training. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS This interactive online program is a cost-effective way to increase paraprofessional knowledge and job satisfaction.

Intention to Change Nutrition-Related Behaviors in Adult Participants of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education

Objective. The objective of this study was to identify benefits and barriers to using a farmers’ market (FM) incentive program among program participants. Design. In qualitative semistructured interviews, participants were asked about their experiences with shopping at FM, using FM incentives, barriers to fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, and changes in dietary intake. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Inductive content analysis was used to code, categorize, and develop themes based on the transcriptions. Setting. A FM in Northern Utah. Subjects. A convenience sample of participants (n = 14) completed a 45- to 60-minute interview after receiving FM incentives for an 8-week intervention period. Results. FM incentives reduced barriers associated with shopping at FM such as cost and accessibility among program participants. Incentives provided participants with greater spending flexibility, allowing parents to provide children with F&V that previously did not fit into their food budget. Participants reported greater family and community involvement when shopping at FM. However, the limited hours and days of operation were factors that reduced the use of FM among participants, even when incentives were provided. Conclusions. The perceived benefits and barriers to shopping at FM and receiving FM incentives should be considered by future programmers and funding agencies.

Reducing Food Insecurity and Improving Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Farmers' Market Incentive Program Participants.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether participation in selected Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) lessons had an impact on the intent to improve nutrition-related behaviors of participants. METHODS A quantitative study using a retrospective post-then-pre design to measure SNAP-Ed outcomes of 203 adult participants after selected nutrition lessons in 14 counties across the state of Utah. After the intervention participants completed a retrospective post-then-pre survey evaluating intent to improve nutrition behaviors related to the SNAP-Ed lessons. Wilcoxon signed rank test with Bonferroni correction and paired t test were used. RESULTS Participants reported sometimes engaging in nutrition related behaviors before attending SNAP-Ed lessons and intent to usually engage in these behaviors after attending SNAP-Ed lessons. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS This study demonstrated that participation in selected SNAP-Ed lessons was positively related to the intent of participants to improve nutrition-related behaviors.