(P26-012-24) The Impact of the COVID-19-Related Transition to Remote Learning on the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Outcomes

Objectives: To determine whether the COVID-19-related transition to remote education affected participant outcomes in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of EFNEP data from fiscal years 2020 and 2021. EFNEP is a federally funded nutrition education program that aims to improve food-related behaviors in families with low-income. We used data from the pretest and posttest questionnaire (EFNEP Adult Questionnaire) to assess participants’ behaviors in four domains: Diet quality (DQ), Physical Activity (PA), Food Safety (FS), and Food Resource Management (FRM).

The sample included non-pregnant adult EFNEP participants who completed the pre and posttest questionnaires and received at least 7 out of the 9 lessons (graduation criterion).

Mixed effects linear models were used for analysis to account for the repeat measures (pre and post) and clustering at the educator level (random effects), with an interaction term for time (pre or post) and period (pre COVID [in-person education], early in the pandemic [sudden shift to remote education] and late (nine months) into the pandemic [more established remote education]).

Results: A total of 2,898 participants were included in the analytic sample, most of whom were Hispanic (82%) and lived in urban areas (64%). 52% participated in EFNEP before COVID-19, 21% early in the pandemic and 26% late into it. We observed significant increases in posttest (vs. pretest) scores in each domain and period (all delta [δ] were significant at P < 0.05). However, evidence of effect modification was detected for PA (interaction term P-value=0.0003) and FS (P < 0.0001). A greater increase in PA scores was observed in the late pandemic period (δ ± S.E.: 4.2 ± 0.15) compared to pre (3.5 ± 0.11) and early pandemic (3.8 ± 0.16). Smaller increases in posttest FS scores were evident during the early (2.2 ± 0.14) and late pandemic period (2.9 ± 0.12), compared to the pre-pandemic one (3.3 ± 0.09).

Conclusions: EFNEP participation improved food-related behaviors, even during a sudden shift to remote education. More opportunities for exercising may have been available during the lockdown. In-person cooking demonstrations involving food handling and related reinforcement items, not occurring during remote education, may facilitate further improvement of food safety behaviors.

Funding Sources: None