Delivering effective nutrition education in a santa clara county food bank's food distribution lines – lessons learned

This quasi-experimental study was conducted by the California Association of Food Banks, in collaboration with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, to assess the effectiveness of short and focused nutrition education lessons with food bank clients standing in monthly food distribution lines. A review of the literature found little to no research on nutrition education in food distribution lines. A convenience sample of 261 predominately low income Latino/Hispanic intervention food bank clients at six different food distribution sites was compared to 254 similar control clients at six other sites. The interactive MyPlate-based nutrition education and tastings focused on increasing nutrition knowledge and consumption of food bank provided fresh fruits and vegetables. Clients received two educational exposures over a two-month period. Post-test data were gathered in the third month. Results showed that brief (10-15 minute) nutrition education in food distribution lines had a statistically significant improvement on intervention clients' awareness of MyPlate, recall and use of specific MyPlate portion messages, and preparation of recipes received from the food bank. Intervention participants were also significantly more likely to have purchased a featured produce item at a store. Qualitative data found that MyPlate influenced participants to add more vegetables to their meals, eat smaller portions, prepare the featured recipes, and cook healthier foods for their families. This study showed that a well-designed nutrition education intervention, conducted within the time constraints associated with food distribution lines, can still have an impact on nutrition message knowledge and consumption-related behaviors. Lessons learned will be described.