“App” development for online nutrition education in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
WIC, app, nutrition education, online education
Department
Nutritional Science
Major
Nutritional Sciences
Abstract
As technology advances, users are shifting from desktop computers to mobile phones as tools for online learning. With these advances, there is demand for health educators to develop new platforms which are tailored to individual needs. The WIC program is no different. Currently, the WIC program has national reach and provides valuable nutrition education to low-income women and their children. Preliminary data of online nutrition education in the PHFE-WIC program in CA from 2011-2014 found a significant shift from desktop computers to mobile devices as platforms for on-line nutrition education, with over 50% of participants using mobile devices. Use of an iPhone/Apple device was 18.5% in 2013 and increased to 24% in the first half of 2014. Use of an android device was 36.1% in 2013 and 34.3% in the first half of 2014. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and ease of use for a mobile “app” for nutrition education in the WIC program. A total of 45 participants were administered a baseline survey and were instructed to complete the current online education lesson developed by PHFE-WIC followed by a video lesson accessed through a mobile “app”. Upon completion of both nutrition lessons, participants were given a post-survey. Following the intervention, 4 participants were invited to a focus group to share their experiences and perceptions about the use of the “app” for nutrition education. Of these 45 participants, 42.2% were Latino and 44.4% were Black; 37.8% were married and 40.0% had completed at least some college. On average, participants were 30.6 years old and had participated in the WIC program for 3.1 years. The sample reflected national trends in obesity; 26.7% were overweight and 37.8% were obese. Among the participants 55.6% used Apple while 40.0% used Android products. Before completing this study, 84.4% had never completed an online nutrition education course through WIC. The pre- and post-survey results demonstrated statistically significant change in knowledge about sugar-sweetened beverages (p=0.044). These quantitative findings were confirmed with personal narratives from the qualitative focus group data. Overall, this “app” pilot study was beneficial for improving nutrition education in this high need population. More research in the area of nutrition education “apps” is warranted, particularly in the WIC program, given the ever increasing and widespread use of mobile devices for learning.
Faculty Mentor
Loan P. Kim, PhD
Funding Source or Research Program
Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative
“App” development for online nutrition education in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
As technology advances, users are shifting from desktop computers to mobile phones as tools for online learning. With these advances, there is demand for health educators to develop new platforms which are tailored to individual needs. The WIC program is no different. Currently, the WIC program has national reach and provides valuable nutrition education to low-income women and their children. Preliminary data of online nutrition education in the PHFE-WIC program in CA from 2011-2014 found a significant shift from desktop computers to mobile devices as platforms for on-line nutrition education, with over 50% of participants using mobile devices. Use of an iPhone/Apple device was 18.5% in 2013 and increased to 24% in the first half of 2014. Use of an android device was 36.1% in 2013 and 34.3% in the first half of 2014. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and ease of use for a mobile “app” for nutrition education in the WIC program. A total of 45 participants were administered a baseline survey and were instructed to complete the current online education lesson developed by PHFE-WIC followed by a video lesson accessed through a mobile “app”. Upon completion of both nutrition lessons, participants were given a post-survey. Following the intervention, 4 participants were invited to a focus group to share their experiences and perceptions about the use of the “app” for nutrition education. Of these 45 participants, 42.2% were Latino and 44.4% were Black; 37.8% were married and 40.0% had completed at least some college. On average, participants were 30.6 years old and had participated in the WIC program for 3.1 years. The sample reflected national trends in obesity; 26.7% were overweight and 37.8% were obese. Among the participants 55.6% used Apple while 40.0% used Android products. Before completing this study, 84.4% had never completed an online nutrition education course through WIC. The pre- and post-survey results demonstrated statistically significant change in knowledge about sugar-sweetened beverages (p=0.044). These quantitative findings were confirmed with personal narratives from the qualitative focus group data. Overall, this “app” pilot study was beneficial for improving nutrition education in this high need population. More research in the area of nutrition education “apps” is warranted, particularly in the WIC program, given the ever increasing and widespread use of mobile devices for learning.