2.82. Food Sensations® Effectively Using Food Literacy to Improve Nutrition

Abstract

Food literacy programs aim to improve planning, selection, preparation and eating of healthy foods. Governments are investing in these programs to improve nutrition at a population level. One such program is Food Sensations® for Adults (FSA), a free four-week nutrition and cooking program funded by the Western Australian Department of Health, targeting low- to middle-income adults. A validated food literacy behaviours checklist was developed to assess how effective FSA is in changing food literacy and selected dietary behaviours. Evaluation of participant outcomes attending 223 FSA programs run between May 2016 and June 2018 was conducted via voluntary preand post-program questionnaires (n = 1092). Statistical analysis identified a significant increase (p < 0.0001) in post-program scores for healthier food selection (25.1%), preparation (11.8%) and planning and management of meals (9.7%). Self-reported fast food meal intake and sugar sweetened drinks consumption significantly decreased post-program (p < 0.0001). There was also a significant increase in self-reported fruit and vegetable serve intake, equating to an average increase of ¼ serve/day of fruit and ½ serve/day of vegetables. FSA is effective in improving food literacy and dietary behaviours. Results indicate the potential benefits that investment in this type of program could bring to improve population health.