How Does Nutrition Education Affect the Level of Food Insecurity in Low-Income Families?

Abstract

According to the USDA, the Food and Nutrition Service oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. The largest program, SNAP, puts healthy food on the table for more than 38 million people it serves each month, half of whom are children. It is important to discover the affects that nutrition education has on the food insecurity of low-income families and to reach more individuals with the information and training. Confidential one-on-one interviews coupled with a group discussion of ten low-income individuals were administered through a qualitative research process. Four main themes developed upon analysis of the data; Food Insecurity, Home Environment, Nutrition Education, Money and Resources. The results of the study were analyzed to determine if Nutrition Education does affect the food insecurity of low-income families and individuals.