(OR11-06-26) Investigating the Impact of a University Online Food Literacy Program

Sunday, July 26, 2026

3:30 PM - 3:42 PM ET

Location: National Harbor 10-11

Presenting Author(s)

Melissa J. Teuber, BS (she/her/hers)

Doctoral Candidate
University of California, Davis
Sacramento, California, United States

Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

CN

Cassandra J. Nguyen, PhD

University of California, Davis, California, United States
Debbie S. Fetter, PhD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Teaching
University of California, Davis
Davis, California, United States

Disclosure(s):

Melissa J. Teuber, BS: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Debbie S. Fetter, PhD: Dairy Council of California: Consultant (Ongoing)
International Food Information Council Foundation: Independent Contractor (including contracted research) (Terminated)

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a UC Davis online food literacy program on nutrition knowledge, cooking self-efficacy, food safety attitude, food literacy-related behaviors, and food security status (FSS) in college students.

Methods: Eligible participants were currently enrolled undergraduate students who have not taken a college-level nutrition course. Participants were randomized to the self-paced 3-week program (n=98) or comparison group (n=96). Pre- and post-surveys were completed through Qualtrics using previously validated surveys to measure nutrition knowledge (General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire), cooking self-efficacy, food safety attitude, behavior (Eating and Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire; food preparation purchasing behavior), and FSS (10-item U.S. Adult Food Security Survey Module). Two-way mixed repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc pairwise comparisons were performed using Bonferroni-adjusted tests of simple effects and FSS changes were assessed with Stuart-Maxwell Marginal homogeneity. Stata 18.0 software (StataCorp, College Station, TX, 2019) was used for analyses and significance was determined using p < 0.05.

Results: Fifty-three percent of participants in the program were classified as high FSS, 26% marginal FSS, 11% low FSS, and 8% very low FSS. Nutrition knowledge (+2.7 points, p < 0.05) and food safety attitude scores (+1.2 points, p < 0.05) improved after participating in the program, and these changes were significantly different from the comparison group. Although not significant, there was a trend towards improvement in FSS and cooking self-efficacy in the program group. Eating and food literacy behaviors and food preparation purchasing behavior did not significantly change.

Conclusions: Participating in the online food literacy program improved nutrition knowledge and attitude towards food safety, with trends of greater cooking self-efficacy and increased food security. While the short duration and flexibility of completing the program online contributed to high retention and completion rates, stronger improvements and behavior changes may be seen with a longer intervention period that allows for greater reinforcement of knowledge and skills.

Funding Sources: Henry A. Jastro Research Award