Objective
To assess dissemination, uptake, and perceived usefulness of on-demand e-learning nutrition trainings for early care and education (ECE) providers over the first year of availability.
Use of Theory or Research
Guided by adult learning and nutrition education principles, 22 on-demand, interactive nutrition trainings (∼30-minutes each) were developed for ECE providers with diverse learning styles. Principles from Diffusion of Innovation Theory guided dissemination strategies.
Target Audience
Go NAP SACC participating programs across 21 states.
Program Description
Go NAPSACC provides a structured process and web-based tools to help improve the health of children. Providers have access to four content areas related to nutrition (i.e., child nutrition, oral health, breast/infant feeding, farm to ECE) covering a variety of topics (e.g., foods provided, feeding practices/environments, policy, etc.). In January 2021, Go NAPSACC launched and marketed a new on-demand training library. Process evaluation over the first year identified opportunities for improvement in dissemination.
Evaluation Methods
Data on reach, engagement, and perceived usefulness were captured using the Go NAPSACC platform. Online surveys were used to capture state-level dissemination strategies.
Results
In 2021, 7,211 trainings sessions were completed by 2,932 providers from 760 programs. The child nutrition foods provided training had the most completed sessions (701). The majority of programs completing trainings were center-based (45.4%) or family childcare homes (42.5%), not associated with military, faith-based, or native groups (89.6%), located in a metro area (63.6%), and Child and Adult Care Food Program participants (72.4%). Dissemination strategies for states with the greatest uptake included approval for professional development credit, embedding trainings within another project or system, use of existing listservs, and advertising on state/local agency websites. Majority of programs reported trainings were engaging (95.8%) and they will be able to apply what they learned (96.4%).
Conclusions
Go NAPSACC is a highly scalable platform for dissemination of on-demand nutrition trainings for ECE providers with potential to greatly increase the reach and accessibility of nutrition education for this critical population.
Funding
None
SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Supplementary data related to this article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2022.04.142.
Appendix. SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
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Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier Inc.
