Helping Low-Income Families Eat Better in Texas

In Texas, a program called the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has been working to improve how low-income families eat. This program is part of a bigger federal effort to help people make healthier food choices and learn more about nutrition. The goal is to see if this program really makes a difference in how people eat. The study looked at data from ten counties over four years, from 2019 to 2022. To measure how well the program worked, researchers used something called the Healthy Eating Index-2015. This index scores how healthy a person's diet is based on what they eat in a day. The scores were taken before and after people joined the program. The results showed that, on average, people's scores improved by 4. 23 points. This means that the program helped people eat better. The biggest improvements were seen in Tarrant and Hidalgo counties. When looking at different racial groups, Asian participants showed the most improvement, followed by white and black participants. Hispanic participants also saw more significant changes in their eating habits compared to non-Hispanic participants. The study also found that where people lived and whether they were part of public assistance programs like the Child Nutrition Program (CNP) made a big difference in how much their scores improved. However, factors like age, income, and how many hours of teaching they received in the program did not seem to matter as much. The program helped people eat more fruits, whole grains, and dairy, which are all important parts of a healthy diet. It also helped them cut back on refined grains, added sugar, and saturated fat. However, the program did not do as well in helping people reduce their sodium intake, which is a common problem in low-income communities. Overall, the program seems to have made a positive impact on how people eat. This is similar to what other studies have found in different states and regions. It shows that programs like EFNEP can really help improve people's diets, especially in low-income areas.