Maximizing Nutrition Education to Meet Dietary and Food Security of Children and Parents

Launched by PURDUE UNIVERSITY · Jan 4, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how nutrition education can help improve the eating habits and food security of families with children who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Previous research showed that teaching adults about nutrition helped increase food security at home, but it didn’t always lead to better eating habits for the adults themselves. The goal of this study is to see if improving food security can also lead to healthier eating for children. Over a 10-week period, adult participants will receive nutrition education, and researchers will check in on the children's eating habits and the overall food situation in their homes.

To be eligible for this study, families must live in Indiana, have children between the ages of 5 and 18, and be receiving SNAP benefits. Participants should be comfortable communicating in English and must not have received similar nutrition education in the past year. The study will involve collecting information about what families eat and how secure they feel about their food supply, both before and after the education sessions, and then again a year later. This research aims to create helpful resources that can guide families on healthy eating and meal planning, ultimately supporting the goal of improving health and nutrition for families facing food insecurity.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • households in Indiana
• • households with children
• • English speaking
• • eligible to receive SNAP (≥18 years and household income at or below 130% of the poverty guideline)
• • willing to allow a child 5-18 years to participate
• • willing to participate in the study and wait 1 year to receive SNAP-Ed
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • not have received SNAP-Ed lessons in the past year
• • not pregnant or lactating (due to inherent dietary changes)