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theses

Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids are important nutrients and are deficient in the American diet. Therefore increasing the intake of n-3s is a public health goal. Research has suggested that because people eat what they buy, point-of-purchase interventions may have the potential to help consumers make healthy food choices. A study of existing literature revealed that these interventions have not used newer technological means, have many limitations, and have failed to assess long-term shopping behavior change. The research presented in this dissertation aims to test use of, and long-term effects of, new technology (i.e., podcasts) as a means of delivering nutrition education at the grocery store to interested consumers while they shop. A single-group, repeated-measures, mixed-methods study design was employed to determine if listening to a podcast about n-3s while grocery shopping increased shoppers’ awareness about, and purchases of, seafood and other foods rich in n-3s. Constructs from the Theory of Reasoned Action were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the podcasts. A secondary data analysis of participant food purchase data was done to examine the long-term effects of podcast exposure over the six months following the intervention (as compared to the six months prior). As a result of exposure to the podcasts TRA constructs improved, knowledge about n-3s increased and misconceptions were reduced. In addition, both long-term (six months post-intervention) and short-term purchases (day of the intervention) of n-3 rich food item purchases increased. These findings suggest that podcasts may be an effective means to communicate nutrition education messages at the point of purchase, to those who indicate an interest in the subject.

ETD_5451

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Deepika Bangia

doi:10.7282/T3PG1Q1N

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.