Advancing Inclusive Communication: Implementing an Audit to Center Equity in SNAP-Ed Programming

Area of Science:

• Public Health Communication
• Health Equity
• Nutrition Education

Background:

• Effective public health interventions depend on clear communication.
• Messaging must be inclusive, non-stigmatizing, and reflect community experiences to avoid perpetuating inequities.
• A health equity lens necessitates reviewing and revising existing communication materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an audit tool for systematically reviewing intervention materials.
• To revise a cookbook for a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) intervention to ensure a weight-neutral, empowering approach.
• To create a methodology for examining intervention resources for inclusive communication.

Main Methods:

• Development of a systematic audit tool.
• Collaborative review process of a cookbook for low-income families.
• Application of the tool to assess communication approaches, including person-first language and avoidance of deficit framing.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive methodology was established to audit intervention resources.
• The audit identified areas for revision in the cookbook to promote inclusivity.
• The process ensured content was weight-neutral, empowering, and avoided stigmatizing language.

Conclusions:

• The developed audit tool and methodology provide a replicable framework for reviewing public health communication materials.
• Prioritizing health equity in communication requires critical assessment and revision of intervention resources.
• Practitioners can adapt this approach to ensure their materials are inclusive and supportive of community needs.