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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Western Human Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #184796
Title: VISUALLY ENHANCED EVALUATION FOR LOW-INCOME CLIENTS

Author
item TOWNSEND, MARILYN - UC-DAVIS FACULTY
item SILVA, KATHRYN - UC-DAVIS FACULTY
item Follett, Jennifer
item Keim, Nancy
item MARTIN, ANNA - UC, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
item METZ, DIANE - UC, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
item SWANSON-WOOTEN, PATTI - UC, COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
item SUGARMAN, SHARON - CALIF. DEPT. HEALTH SERV.

Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2005
Publication Date: 7/1/2005
Citation: Townsend, M.S., Silva, K., Follett, J.R., Keim, N.L., Martin, A.C., Metz, D.L., Swanson-Wooten, P.C., Sugarman, S.B. Visually enhanced evaluation for low-income clients. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2005; vol.37 Suppl 1:S49

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Many clients in low-income, community education programs have literacy problems, thereby making a text-only evaluation instrument difficult to use. There is a need for visually enhanced evaluation tools. Using a 16-item food behavior checklist (FBC) previously shown to be reliable, valid and sensitive to change, we tested a series of formats and visuals (photographs and line drawings) to determine the best evaluation instrument for Food Stamp clients. A systematic process consisting of 3 levels of review was developed for the comparison of potential formats and visuals. Level I: research and academic program professionals. Level II: community-based paraprofessionals in the Food Stamp and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Programs. Level III: Food Stamps clients. Using cognitive interviewing procedures, Food Stamp clients described their preferences for the visuals. Clients were asked how the proposed visuals could be made to be more understandable to their peers. Generally, level I and II reviews resulted in more complex visuals for each of the 16 FBC items than the previous however, the cognitive testing of Food Stamp clients revealed the need for less detail in the visuals. This systematic process produced an evaluation tool containing 16 visually enhanced items in a 4-page color booklet in which the items are easier to understand than the text-only version. Funding provided by the California Public Health Institute, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, and the University of California Cooperative Extension.