Nutrition Education for Low Income Population through Social Marketing

Abstract: As part of formative research for a social marketing intervention, eight focus groups were conducted for Georgia SNAP-Ed eligible participants (N=70) in four quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE) of the state, representing rural and urban counties. Based on the principles of Marketing Exchange Theory (Bagozzi, 1975), participants were asked questions which assessed benefits and barriers associated with eating healthy, as well as accessibility and media channels used. Results indicated the the majority of participants recognized benefits to healthy eating including less susceptibility to obesity-related medical conditions, but also faced barriers including affordability and access to healthy food options, particularly those who live in more rural counties. The Internet and social networking sites (SNSs) were frequently used to access health information, along with television programs including daytime talk shows and food-related programming. The data gathered will be used to developing a segmented social marketing intervention to reach low-income SNAP-Ed eligible Georgians.