Formative research activities to provide Web-based nutrition education to adults in the Upper Rio Grande Valley

The Internet is a promising new tool for disseminating cancer prevention information. Barriers to full implementation include disparities in access and skill and availability of information relevant at the local level. A nutrition education Web site to promote fruit and vegetable intake is being produced for a tri-ethnic adult population in Colorado and New Mexico. Development is guided by findings from formative research including focus groups with local residents, a survey on computer and Internet use with 200 adults in 1998, an assessment of public access computer sites, and in-depth discussion with local community computer skills trainers.