Interactive Computer Food Safety Education Program for Women, Infants, and Chiildren (WIC) Program Clients

Foodborne illnesses are an important problem in the United States resulting in an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths each year as well as considerable economic costs. Foodborne illness prevention is needed at each step of the farm to the dinner table continuum. On the consumer end of the continuum, national surveys indicate that Americans still do not have optimum food safety practices. The United States Department of Agriculture Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) serves two populations who are at high risk of severe outcomes from foodborne illnesses: infants and pregnant women. In addition, many WIC clients are in low socioeconomic levels, have low educational levels, and have less access to food safety education. The purpose of this project is to improve food safety practices among WIC Program clients by developing and evaluating a food safety educational program for use in WIC Program clinics that will use computer-based interactive multimedia (IMM). Our project will be developed and tested in a large WIC Program clinic in Miami-Dade County, Florida. IMM are interactive software programs that use video, audio, animation, and graphics to deliver educational messages and can be used in touch-screen computer kiosks (similar to ATM machines). This approach allows WIC Program clinics to deliver additional education without having to hire additional staff.
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We propose to develop an effective food safety educational program using interactive multimedia (IMM) to improve food safety practices among the high-risk, hard-to-reach population of pregnant and postpartum clients and caretakers (usually mothers) of pediatric clients served by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program). IMM is a software program that uses video, audio, text and colorful animation and graphics to deliver educational messages at a touch-screen computer at a kiosk, which will be located in WIC clinics. IMM is an interactive educational method and allows the use of quizzes, case scenarios, games, and other interactive methods to engage the client in active learning. It allows tailored message delivery so that specific information is delivered based on the needs of clients. Because it is computer-based, no additional WIC staff are needed to implement the training program. There will be five phases in the development and evaluation of this program. First, we will develop curricula by using focus groups and key informants to determine barriers and beliefs associated with unsafe food handling practices among adult WIC clients and caretakers of pediatric WIC clients and to develop culturally appropriate messages. Second, we will assess baseline knowledge and attitudes and validate food safety self-reported practice questions among a sample of adult WIC clients and caretakers of pediatric WIC clients. Third, we will develop the computer multimedia curricula and program. Fourth, we will perform a formative evaluation of program. Finally, we will evaluate the program using a randomized controlled trial comparing pre- to post-intervention changes in self-reported food safety behavior between clients using the program and clients receiving the same material in written form and determine demographic predictors of improvements in self-reported behavior.