206 - Stakeholder perspectives on remote versus in-person delivery of a group-based child obesity prevention program for Latino families with low income

Poster Number: 206
Publication Number: 206.1323

Background: The pandemic led to a substantial increase in the delivery of remote interventions, including group-based nutrition education programs for low-income families. Few studies have described stakeholder perspectives on this change in modality, which is critical for optimizing remotely delivered programs in the future.

Objective: We aimed to explore attitudes and beliefs of key stakeholders regarding in-person vs remote delivery of a group-based child obesity prevention program for low-income, Latino families, to inform program development in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Design/Methods: This qualitative study utilized focus groups and semi-structured interviews with four stakeholder groups: 1) Past participants of a child obesity prevention program designed for in-person, primary care based delivery, which was transitioned to remote delivery due to COVID-19 (the Starting Early Program [StEP Prenatal]; n=40); 2) Future potential program participants, pregnant women and mothers of young children enrolled in WIC (n=30); 3) StEP Prenatal staff (n=6); and 4) WIC staff (n=13). Data were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated to English when necessary. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using the constant comparative method in an iterative process of textual analysis.

Results: Table 1 describes characteristics of participants in each stakeholder group. Table 2 describes three key themes that emerged, with exemplar quotes from each stakeholder group: 1) In-person social interactions are highly valued, but not enough to overcome attendance barriers (e.g., transportation), leading to acceptance of remote programs as more feasible; 2) optimal participant engagement in a group-based program requires access to different resources when delivered remotely (e.g. quiet space) as compared to in-person (e.g., time for travel); 3) consistent content can be delivered across both modalities, but uncertainty remains about the effectiveness of remote programs.

Conclusion(s): Remotely delivered group-based programs in WIC may benefit from adding opportunities for social interaction outside the program sessions (e.g., group chats) and setting clear expectations for remote engagement at the beginning. Once optimized, efficacy and comparative effectiveness trials will be necessary.