About Eating: An Online Program With Evidence of Increased Food Resource Management Skills for Low-Income Women

Objective: Produce and evaluate About Eating (AE), an online program for low-income women aligned with the Satter eating competence model, congruent with best practices for nutrition education of low-income audiences. Methods: Responses from iterative cognitive interviews and online surveys with diverse samples of low-income women informed lesson revisions. The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial of AE with low-income women to determine its impact on dietary behavior and food security. Results: In all, 284 women reviewed at least 1 AE lesson and endorsed it. After AE, women (n = 288) increased in use of food resource management skills (eg, using a budget [. P = .008] and planning meals to include all food groups [. P = .002]). About Eating participants who were food secure had more confidence in managing money for food (. P = .002) and keeping track of food-related purchases (. P = .02) than food-insecure persons. Conclusions and Implications: Mixed-methods research with life stage and geodiverse samples confirmed the usefulness of AE. Food security assessment may enhance interpretation of intervention effectiveness.