Digital Nutrition Intervention for Older Adults

Overview

The "digital divide" or gap in technological access and knowledge, for older adults has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to disruptions in services like congregate meal programs funded by the Older Americans Act. Seven San Antonio congregate meal sites remained partially open biweekly to distribute meals but no longer offer in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, and social activities. The proposed project will test the efficacy of digital nutrition intervention with at-risk older adults who attend congregate meal center in areas of high poverty and digital exclusion. The study is uses a stepped-wedge cluster clinical trial. Key community partners with the Department of Health Services Senior Services Division and Older Adult Technology Services (OATS) will participate in the planning phase, research design, and implementation of the study. The study aims are: 1. To test the impact of a technology-based intervention on the primary outcomes of food security and diet quality; 2. To determine the effect of the intervention on secondary outcomes of technology knowledge and usage, physical activity, and social isolation and loneliness; 3. To examine the long-term impact and sustainability of technology use on food security, diet quality, physical activity, and social isolation. If successful, the impact of this program could be applied throughout the national OATS network and to similar CMPs to bridge the digital divide beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

This project will target community-dwelling older adults who are "congregate meal" program (CMP) participants living in areas at-risk of the digital divide. The CMP is funded by the Older Americans Act and serves over 2000 San Antonio older adults who live 33% below the poverty level and 18% considered at high nutritional risk. During the pandemic, seven San Antonio sites in areas with high poverty and digital exclusion remain partially open biweekly to distribute meals but did not hold in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, and social activities. The proposed project extends existing congregate meal programming infrastructure and partnerships with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), a national leader in creating health service programs focusing on older adults. The goal of the proposed study is to remove the digital barrier to receiving essential, evidence-based nutrition programming online, utilizing OATS' five-week technology "Essential Series," which has successfully educated thousands of older adults nationwide by providing support for technology and internet connectivity. This proposed nutrition intervention will enrolled congregate meal participants using a stepped-wedge cluster design with two cohorts to allow for sequential intervention enrollment with simultaneous control and intervention data collection timepoints. Key community partners within Department of Health Services Senior Services Division and OATS will participate in the planning phase, research design, and implementation of the study. Feedback from congregate meal participants in focus groups will guide the development of the intervention. The 20-week intervention will include 5 weeks technology training, including internet access and devices, followed by 15 weeks of a culturally tailored nutrition intervention via online sessions. The study will recruit 440 older adult from seven at-risk congregate meal sites. Data will be collected at baseline (T0), during the online intervention (T1), after the online intervention (T2) and 6 months post-intervention (T3). The successful outcome of our study will be impactful because of the potential broader application of this program throughout the national OATS network and to similar CMPs to bridge the digital divide through and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.