Online WIC Nutrition Education to Promote Farmers' Market Fruit and Vegetable Purchases and Consumption

This study is evaluating the WIC Fresh Start program, a theory-driven, web-based nutrition education lesson to promote fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Designed to leverage vouchers provided to WIC participants for FV purchases through the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and monthly cash value vouchers (CVVs) redeemable at farmers' markets, the lesson is conceptually grounded in formative research on knowledge, attitudes and skills influencing farmers' market FV purchases and consumption and theoretical understanding of approaches for modifying them. Lesson content delivery is primarily through short video segments and audio output to increase accessibility for low-literate learners. Informed by a community-based participatory research approach, WIC participants are engaged as full partners in the development of the lesson and the delivery of content (videos feature WIC participants). The setting is a large WIC agency serving three New Jersey counties. Separate samples of women were recruited to participate in 1) focus groups for guiding lesson content development (N = 56 participants) and pretesting the resulting content (N = 52 participants), 2) cognitive testing to assess the clarity and interpretability of items and response formats in measures of knowledge, attitudes and skills developed for the study (N = 15), 3) one-on-one sessions to assess reactions to initial versions of video segments developed for the lesson (N = 20), and 4) the outcome evaluation (N = 744). Stratified based on FMNP voucher receipt, participants are randomized to receive the lesson or existing online health education. Outcome measures (administered orally to reduce literacy demands of the response task) are completed at pretest (immediately before the lesson), posttest (two weeks after the lesson), and 3 and 6 months after posttesting. Short- and long-term lesson effects on FV intake, FMNP voucher redemption and the redemption of CVVs at farmers' markets will be evaluated. Evidence for mediation by knowledge, attitudes, and skills of lesson effects on FV intake and voucher redemption, dose-response relationships, and user satisfaction with the lesson also will be examined.