Authors
Adedokun, O.A.; Plonski, P.; Aull, M.
Abstract
Objective: To examine the mediating effects of food resource management skills (FRM) on the relationship between participation in a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) nutrition education program and diet quality. Design: Secondary analysis of data from a propensity score-matched sample of participants (n = 396) and nonparticipants (n = 111) in a SNAP-Ed nutrition education program. Analysis: Independent-samples t tests were used to compare entry, exit, and gain scores in FRM and diet quality between participants and nonparticipants. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and mediated relationships among participation, FRM, and diet quality. Main Outcome Measures: Food resource management was measured as a summated rating scale, and diet quality measured as Healthy Eating Index and program participation. Results: Mediated effect of FRM on the relationship between participation in a SNAP-Ed program and diet quality was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The effect size for the mediation effect indicated that about 70% of program participation on diet quality was transferred by FRM skills. The hypothesized model had acceptable fit indices as model χ2 was nonsignificant (P = 0.31), all fit indices were above 0.9, and the root mean square of error approximation was low at 0.02. Conclusions and Implications: Participation in a SNAP-Ed program enhanced participants’ FRM, which in turn enhanced their diet quality. © 2020