Weekend Backpack Program Tailored for Ethnic and Dietary Food Preferences: Nutrition Quality, Program Usage, and Parent Satisfaction

Jiwoo Lee; Lisa J Harnack; Lindsey Torkilsen; Rose Bauer; Rebecca L Freese; Winnie Yip; Maryah S Fram; Edward A Frongillo

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2024.10.002

Weekend Backpack Program Tailored for Ethnic and Dietary Food Preferences: Nutrition Quality, Program Usage, and Parent Satisfaction

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2024 Nov 8:S1499-4046(24)00472-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2024.10.002. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jiwoo Lee¹, Lisa J Harnack², Lindsey Torkilsen³, Rose Bauer⁴, Rebecca L Freese⁵, Winnie Yip⁶, Maryah S Fram⁷, Edward A Frongillo⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Electronic address: leex5222@umn.edu.
² Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
³ Every Meal, Roseville, MN.
⁴ Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI.
⁵ Biostatistical Design and Analysis Center, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
⁶ School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
⁷ College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
⁸ Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

PMID: 39520470
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2024.10.002

Abstract

Objective: We documented the nutritional quality of a weekend food backpack program with 5 bag types tailored for ethnic food preferences and reported participants' satisfaction and usage of the program.

Methods: The Healthy Eating Index-2020 scores were calculated to assess the quality of the food items by bag type. We also recruited 49 caregivers of elementary school-aged children in Minnesota using multilingual flyers from December, 2022 to May, 2023. Caregivers' program satisfaction and usage were assessed through online surveys.

Results: The Healthy Eating Index-2020 total scores ranged from 67 to 83 across the bag type. Participants liked 90% of the food items and used all or some of the items in 79% of the bags.

Conclusion and implications: A tailored weekend food backpack program can provide high-quality food with high satisfaction and usage. Further research is needed to determine whether such tailored programs can improve food security and diet quality.

Keywords: ethnic food preference; nutrition; satisfaction; usage; weekend backpack.