Building Healthy Families: Developing video tools for a multistate nutrition education project for limited resource Hmong families with young children

Nutrition education programs face linguistic and cultural challenges in effectively reaching low-literacy immigrant populations. Studies show that visual materials and bilingual audiovisual resources that are culturally responsive and literacy appropriate help participants acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behavior necessary for nutritional well-being. This multistate project examined the efficacy of visual handouts and brief video clips to communicate nutrition education messages to Hmong communities participating in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Formative evaluation efforts via focus groups and informational interviews demonstrated the need to develop tools that encourage food resource management skills like planning ahead and using store ads, and that address how to increase consumption of vegetables and calcium rich foods. Three video clips were produced with Hmong community members and nutrition educators and utilized formats such as storytelling, a didactic presentation of information, or dramatic problem-posing to promote dialogue around solutions. Visual handouts conveying the key messages of each video were also developed for educators working in limited resource settings or in situations without access to screening technology. A total of 279 participants and 8 educators viewed the materials. Summative evaluation data from Nutrition Educator Logs and exit interviews with educators and participants indicate that the visuals and videos were positively viewed as helpful, culturally acceptable, and accessible. These innovative tools not only increased access to important nutrition education for traditionally underserved communities, they also helped participants build their capacity to effectively put it into practice.