The UC CalFresh Nutrition Education had a research article published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, “Food Resource Management Education With SNAP Participation Improves Food Security” recently. This is from data collected with the Plan Shop Save and Cook curriculum. The article displays effective SNAP Ed programming and significant findings found amongst SNAP-Ed participants. The lead authors were Lucia Kaiser and Virginia Chaidez Below is the abstract of the article.
Food Resource Management Education With SNAP Participation Improves Food Security
Objective: To determine the influence of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and participant demographics on nutrition education outcomes.
Methods: At program enrollment (pre) and 1 month later (post), a statewide convenience sample of adults, who participated in the Plan, Shop, Save, and Cook program, completed a 7-item questionnaire to evaluate change in resource management skills (RMS) and running out of food before the end of the month.
Results: Percent of participants (n = 3,744) who reported behavioral improvements in RMS ranged from 38.8% in comparing prices to 54% in reading labels. Female gender and Hispanic ethnicity were positively related to pre–post RMS change (P = .001). Participants who received SNAP food assistance and made greater pre–post improvement in RMS reported the greatest decrease in running out of food (P = .001).
Conclusions and Implications: Both food assistance and education on nutrition and resource management are needed to reduce food insecurity in SNAP-eligible audiences.
To access the full article, click here.