title: EFNEP graduates' perspectives on social media to supplement nutrition education: focus group findings from active users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify ways to effectively use social media to communicate nutrition-related information to low-income populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors conducted 4 focus groups with female Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program graduates who used social media at least twice a week (n = 26 total). Transcripts were analyzed using the constant comparative method to identify key themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For participants, page content, page maintenance, and networking opportunities with others were important aspects of a nutrition education social media page. Trust emerged as a central theme, because participants expressed a need for reliable information from known, credible sources and safe places to share ideas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using social media to provide nutrition-related messages may be an effective way to encourage sustained positive behavior changes resulting from educational programming and to engage participants beyond class time. Establishing the trustworthiness of the social media site is essential to its use among low-income participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN; Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. Electronic address: leakx011@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Tashara M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Leak
authors.affiliation: Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benavente
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: L Suzanne
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Goodell
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lassiter
authors.affiliation: Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: Lorelei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bowen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000379:methods*; D061108:Social Media; D060756:Social Networking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EFNEP; nutrition education; social media