Implementing Nutrition Education Programs in Congregate Dining Service Settings: A Scoping Review

Nutrition education programs implemented in congregate dining service (CDS) settings have the potential to improve healthy eating behaviors among older adult populations. However, little is understood about the types of nutrition education programs that are implemented at CDS sites and the factors that impede or promote implementation efforts. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the characteristics of CDS nutrition education programs, barriers and supports to program implementation, and opportunities to enhance implementation of programming.

We adopted a scoping review methodology to assess the relevant literature published between January 2000 and 2020 by accessing CINAHL, SocINDEX, MEDLINE, AgeLine, and Academic Search Complete.

We identified 18 studies that met our inclusion criteria. The majority of nutrition education programs were led by trained facilitators, included the use of interactive activities, and also incorporated written or video materials. Programs that were adapted to the needs of older participants were perceived as supports to implementation whereas participants' needs and resources (e.g., lack of resources and lower health literacy) were occasionally found to limit the effective implementation of programming.

As the older adult population continues to access CDS sites to address their health and nutritional needs, purposeful efforts are needed to examine the specific approaches that can support nutrition education program implementation. Future opportunities lie in assessing strategies that are effective for mitigating barriers to implementing nutrition education programming in the CDS setting.