Improvements in Kentuckian’s nutrition related behaviors are needed to reduce the statewide burden of obesity and chronic disease. Based on the Community Based Prevention Marketing approach, the University of Kentucky Social Marketing Project to Improve Dietary Quality of SNAP-Ed Eligible Kentuckians through Mobile Technologies will determine barriers and motivators to using mobile technology to improve nutrition and increase consumption of fruit and vegetables

During the 2017 program year, formative research confirmed our target audience’s access to mobile technology and indicated that mobile technology shows promise as a way to improve meal planning, food purchasing and meal preparation. Specific ways technology could help include help with cooking; help saving money or stretching budgets; help shopping for fruits and vegetables; and help in cultivating healthy eating and exercise habits. During the 2018 program year, mock technologies will be tested with focus groups as a means to provide additional insight into the behaviors that are most likely to be positively impacted by the use of mobile technologies, as well as the type of mobile technology tool most likely to be used by the target population. 

Findings from the research will inform the development of social marketing tools and impact future programming decisions. Strategic partnerships with organizations and private companies serving our target audience have been developed, and the research findings will guide us in developing additional partnerships during the next program year to help our target audience.