Identifying Who Improves or Maintains Their Food Literacy Behaviours after Completing an Adult Program

Andrea Begley, Ellen Paynter, Lucy Butcher, Vanessa Bobongie and Satvinder S. Dhaliwal
Additional contact information
Andrea Begley: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth 6102, Australia
Ellen Paynter: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth 6102, Australia
Lucy Butcher: Foodbank Western Australia, Perth Airport 6105, Australia
Vanessa Bobongie: Foodbank Western Australia, Perth Airport 6105, Australia
Satvinder S. Dhaliwal: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth 6102, Australia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Food Sensations for Adults is a free four-week nutrition and cooking program that teaches low- to middle-income individuals food literacy. This research aimed to compare demographic characteristics of participants who completed the program’s follow-up questionnaire three months after program completion and assess whether food literacy and dietary behaviour changes were improved or maintained. Statistical analysis methods used factor scores of the plan and manage, selection, and preparation domains to examine mean self-reported changes in food literacy. Tertile stratification methods calculated changes in participants who had low, middle, and high end-of-program food literacy scores, and multivariable regression analysis explored the associations. The follow-up results ( n = 621) demonstrated a statistically significant factor score increase in plan and manage (3%) and selection (7.2%) domain scores, and a decrease in the preparation score (3.1%), and serves of consumed vegetables (7.9%), but were still significantly higher than at the start of the program. At follow-up, participants with low food literacy at the program end significantly improved their follow-up domain scores for plan and manage (60%) and selection (73.3%), and participants with moderate or high food literacy at the program end maintained their follow-up scores. A food literacy program can support adults to improve and maintain their food literacy behaviours and maintain dietary behaviour change; therefore, strategies to support this continued change must be considered.

Keywords: food literacy; intervention; diet; behaviour change; outcome; evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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