Food-Focused Media Literacy for Remotely Acculturating Adolescents and Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the "JUS Media? Programme".

Gail M Ferguson, Julie M Meeks Gardner, Michelle R Nelson, Cagla Giray, Hari Sundaram, Barbara H Fiese, Brenda Koester, Steve P Tran, Rachel Powell

Journal: The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2022;69(6):1013-1023

PMID: 34281754

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Abstract

PURPOSE

Unhealthy eating is a major modifiable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases and obesity, and remote acculturation to U.S. culture is a recently identified cultural determinant of unhealthy eating among adolescents and families in low/middle-income countries. This small-scale randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of the "JUS Media? Programme," a food-focused media literacy intervention promoting healthier eating among remotely acculturating adolescents and mothers in Jamaica.

METHODS

Gender-stratified randomization of 184 eligible early adolescents and mothers in Kingston, Jamaica (i.e., 92 dyads: M = 12.79 years, 51% girls) determined 31 "Workshops-Only" dyads, 30 "Workshops + SMS/texting" dyads, and 31 "No-Intervention-Control" dyads. Nutrition knowledge (food group knowledge), nutrition attitudes (stage of nutritional change), and nutrition behavior (24-hour recall) were primary outcomes assessed at four time points (T1/baseline, T2, T3, T4) across 5 months using repeated measures analysis of covariances.

RESULTS

Compared to control, families in one or both intervention groups demonstrated significantly higher nutrition knowledge (T3 adolescents, T4 mothers: mean differences .79-1.08 on a 0-6 scale, 95% confidence interval [CI] .12-1.95, Cohen's ds = .438-.630); were more prepared to eat fruit daily (T3 adolescents and mothers: .36-.41 on a 1-5 scale, 95% CI .02-.77, ds = .431-.493); and were eating more cooked vegetables (T4 adolescents and T2 and T4 mothers: .20-.26 on a 0-1 scale, 95% CI -.03-.50, ds = .406-.607). Postintervention focus groups (6-month-delay) revealed major positive impacts on participants' health and lives more broadly.

CONCLUSIONS

A food-focused media literacy intervention for remotely acculturating adolescents and mothers can improve nutrition. Replication in Jamaica and extension to the Jamaican diaspora would be useful.

Address: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Electronic address: [email protected].; Carribbean Child Development Centerm, The University of the West Indies Open Campus, Kingston, Jamaica.; Department of Advertising, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.; Research-to-Policy Collaboration, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania.; Department of Advertising, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois; Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.; Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.; School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois.; CDC Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.06.006

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MeSH Terms: Acculturation, Adolescent, Child, Diet, Healthy, Humans, Literacy, Mothers, Vegetables