Comparing the effectiveness of a community developed listeriosis photo novella and a traditional didactic lesson among nutrition education program clients; A multi-level repeat measure study

Introduction: Despite the efforts of health educators to increase consumers' knowledge and preventive food handling skills, listeriosis cases continue to be reported. One population that has a higher risk of contracting listeriosis is women of child bearing years. The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) client population consists mainly of women of child bearing years; therefore, efforts to develop effective listeriosis educational materials for the EFNEP program may reduce the incidence of listeriosis within this high risk population. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare the impact of a community developed listeriosis photo-novella with the existing (or current) EFNEP lesson. Methods: Two-hundred-forty-seven (N=247) EFNEP clients were given a community developed listeriosis photo-novella. Participants were evaluated pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention and at four weeks post-intervention. The three repeat measures were analyzed using multi-level panel regression analysis and post hoc regression effect size calculations. Results: Participant scores were not statistically different (p>0.05); however, eighty-five percent (85%) of participants shared their take home copy of the listeriosis photo-novella with friends, family or co-workers. Discussion: This study demonstrates that the listeriosis photo-novella was equally effective at improving listeriosis knowledge and preventive behaviors among the EFNEP population when compared to the existing lesson. However, the most significant finding of this study was that 108 photo-novella participants self-reported sharing their copy of the photo-novella with at least 255 members within their community support system.