CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 01/28/20

UGA SNAP-Ed rolls out nation’s first evidence-based online program

By Cal Powell

The University of Georgia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education Program has launched Food eTalk, the country’s only evidence-based online SNAP-Ed program.

UGA SNAP-Ed, a nutrition education and obesity prevention program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that targets low-income audiences, is delivered through UGA Cooperative Extension network in partnership with diverse stakeholders and communities across the state.

Food eTalk is an innovative, smartphone-based eLearning nutrition education program tailored to the specific needs of SNAP-eligible adult Georgians.

The program features six 10-minute interactive lessons, cooking videos and just-in-time learning videos, backed by research conducted by UGA faculty, graduate students and staff within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“Online programming is relatively new to the SNAP-Ed program,” said Jung Sun Lee, UGA Athletic Association Professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “This groundbreaking nutrition education method allows us to increase our reach and impact. We also wanted to provide contextual learning opportunities, such as point-of-decision making in a supermarket, and allow participants to learn at their own teachable moment.”

Food eTalk includes a mobile-first interface, user-friendly navigation and even a Southern-accented voiceover, in addition to lessons focused on sodium reduction, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, food resource management principles and food safety.

Historically, SNAP-Ed programming has been offered via in-person food demonstrations in a classroom setting.

“Low-income families, like many others, have busy schedules due to work and other responsibilities,” said Allisen Penn, associate dean for Extension and outreach in FACS. “Food eTalk is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they can access the programming any time and any place convenient for them.”

The UGA SNAP-Ed program reaches around 2 million Georgians a year through direct, online and social marketing interventions and has received more than $20 million in funding since its founding in 2013, she added.

“Our target audience is very tech savvy,” said Edda Cotto-Rivera, UGA SNAP-Ed’s program coordinator. “This is another way of reaching out with the information we want to share with them.”

For more information about the Food E-Talk program visit www.foodtalk.org.

Cal Powell is the director of communications for the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Authors:
Cal Powell
Experts/Sources:
Edda Cotto-Rivera
Allisen Penn
Food eTalk is an innovative, smartphone-based eLearning nutrition education program tailored to the specific needs of SNAP-eligible adult Georgians. The program was developed by UGA SNAP-Ed, nutrition education and obesity prevention program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered through UGA Cooperative Extension. Created by the University of Georgia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) team, Food eTalk and Food Talk: Better U are now included in the United States Department of Agriculture SNAP-Ed Toolkit. The collection of evidence-based interventions is designed to improve the lives of SNAP-eligible participants by encouraging healthy food and lifestyle choices that prevent obesity.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Checking Yogurt Label CAES News
Impact of food nutrition labels on retail pricing and consumer purchasing 11/20/23 Emily Cabrera
Do Nutrition Facts labels provide a complete picture of what "healthy" really means? And does the way information is provided on food labels change consumers' perceptions and purchasing behavior? Chen Zhen, a University of Georgia professor in food choice, obesity and health was awarded $794,000 to lead a four-year international study to better understand how the use of supplementary nutrition information on packaged food labels have unintended consequences across the socioeconomic spectrum.
Study finds one-year gap between food assistance programs can lead to 20% reduction in diet’s nutritional quality. CAES News
Kids who lose WIC lose nutrition 07/31/23 Erica P. Techo
A one-year gap in access to WIC can have a significantly negative effect on the quality of some 5-year-olds’ diets. A new study from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences found that when children age out of WIC after their fifth birthday, many families are left without food assistance support for up to a year. Until the child enters kindergarten, the nutritional quality of their diet takes about a 20% hit, according to the study.
Members of Well Connected Communities work together to improve health in their communities. CAES News
UGA Extension builds local coalitions through Well Connected Communities 12/06/22 Amanda Budd
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents throughout the state have been hard at work improving health in their communities through the Well Connected Communities program. A nationwide initiative developed by the Cooperative Extension System and the National 4-H Council, Well Connected Communities is designed to identify and address systemic health inequities at the local level.
The UGA SNAP-Ed program, working in collaboration with UGA Extension and a network of federal, state and local resources, is a vital part of the national mission to eliminate diet and physical activity-related health disparities among low-income Georgians. CAES News
UGA SNAP-Ed team recognized as part of 30-year celebration 06/03/22 Cal Powell
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education, or SNAP-Ed, was launched in 1992 as the nutrition education arm of SNAP, the nation’s largest and oldest nutrition assistance program that provides economic benefits to low-income individuals and families. The program that began with just seven states providing nutrition education is now in its 30th year.
The UGA Extension diabetes prevention program has received the highest recognition offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Full Plus certification. CAES News
UGA diabetes prevention program earns top recognition from CDC 05/31/22 Cal Powell
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension diabetes prevention program has received the highest recognition offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s Full Plus certification is reserved for lifestyle change programs that have effectively delivered a quality, evidence-based program that meets all the standards for CDC recognition and additional retention thresholds.
Choosing eggs in the supermarket can get complicated once you decide what size you want. CAES News
Decoding the labels in the supermarket egg case 04/25/22 Maria M. Lameiras
Take a gander at the egg case at your local grocery and you are likely to find a variety of labels that go far beyond medium, large, extra-large or jumbo.