Benefits of Nutrition Education in Local Community Supported Agriculture Sites: A Case Study

Bree Bode (), Sarah Mott, Jacob M. Cutler, Nicole Jess, Sarah Panken and Marci Scott
Additional contact information
Bree Bode: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Sarah Mott: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Jacob M. Cutler: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Nicole Jess: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Sarah Panken: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA
Marci Scott: Michigan Fitness Foundation, 2843 Eyde Pkwy, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-29

Abstract: Nutrition education, framed within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) guidance, was provided to SNAP-eligible shoppers at community supported agriculture (CSA) sites in Michigan where SNAP nutrition incentives were accepted. An evaluation was conducted on data sources from sites where the CSA Food Navigator program was implemented to assess the delivery of nutrition education, understand the needs and experiences of SNAP-eligible shoppers, and measure behavioral outcomes. A multi-phase, mixed-methods design incorporated (1) outcome surveys with SNAP-eligible shoppers at participating CSA sites; (2) open-ended feedback surveys from CSA site staff; (3) nutrition educator activity logs; (4) a semi-structured nutrition educator focus group; and (5) semi-structured focus groups with SNAP-eligible shoppers. In phase one, descriptive analysis was completed on the quantitative data and constant comparative analysis was completed on the qualitative data. In phase two, these data were collated into case reports for respective CSA sites; then, a cross-case analysis was performed. In phase three, statistical tests were performed on SNAP-eligible shoppers’ survey data to assess outcomes against a nationally representative sample of nutrition incentive program participants. Results indicate significantly higher fruit and vegetable consumption among shoppers relative to SNAP incentive participants nationally. Key qualitative themes were (1) relating over transacting: investing in multi-level relationships, (2) personalizing engagement and experiential nutrition education, (3) activating social–ecological spheres to promote changes in access, and (4) enhancing education support and resources for accessibility. The findings have practical implications to enhance the delivery and impact of CSA-based nutrition education.

Keywords: nutrition education; nutrition incentives; supplemental nutrition assistance program; supplemental nutrition assistance program education; community supported agriculture; food security; nutrition security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/7/1033/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/7/1033/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:7:p:1033-:d:1689785

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().