Nutrition Education for Low Income Population through Social Marketing

Abstract: Four focus groups were conducted with Cooperative Extension Agents across the state of Georgia, as part of a SNAP-Ed social marketing intervention, representing four quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE) of the state, including rural and urban counties. Based on the principles of Marketing Exchange Theory (Bagozzi, 1975), extension agents were asked questions pertaining to benefits and barriers associated with administering SNAP-Ed programs across the state, as well as media channels used. Results indicated that barriers to administering SNAP-Ed programs included accessibility to health eating options, particularly in rural counties, as well as the ability for SNAP-Ed participants to travel to extension offices to take part in education programs. Extension agents also identified various media channels that work best for reaching SNAP-Ed participants in their respective counties, including the Internet and social networking sites (SNSs), television, radio, flyers, and online videos. Other issues identified include the need to use segmented messages based on language and culture/ethnicity.