(OR22-05-25) The Nourish Program: Prevention of Chronic Diseases in Aging Adults Living in Rural Areas

Objectives: This work aims to help aging adults living in rural areas decrease their risk of developing chronic diseases and improve their quality of life through planned and sustained incremental lifestyle changes while identifying trends from participant feedback for future programming.

Methods: The Nourish program disseminates evidence-based nutrition and physical activity (PA) practices that support healthy aging through self-paced, distance-learning, online modules while using engaging examples, games, and quizzes. Handouts, recipes, and other online resources are provided in each module. After the completion of each module, surveys are completed by participants to collect demographic information (age, gender, living situation), determine if participants learned something new or found the module to be helpful, and assess lifestyle changes they intend to make as a result of the lesson. These chronic disease prevention efforts target aging adults in rural areas; however, the program remains applicable and relevant to younger and more urban populations.

Results: More than 200 participants have completed available programming. Over 95% of those individuals found the modules and other resources to be easy-to-read and understand. The Digestive (99%), Bone and Joints (88%), and Skin (78%) modules had the highest proportions of participants indicating a plan to change their diet (e.g., add more fruits and vegetables), increase their PA (e.g., increase walking), and change their environment or use devices (e.g., wear a wide-brimmed hat), respectively. Based on cross tabulations, women, individuals 65 years and older, and individuals living alone were more likely to plan to make a lifestyle change compared to men, individuals 18-64 years old, and individuals living with others, respectively, in each module, with few exceptions.

Conclusions: Online platforms can be useful tools to disseminate health information to adults living in rural areas. A majority of participants voiced being pleased with the program content and indicated having plans to increase PA, improve dietary choices, or make other healthful lifestyle changes. Recruitment and new cohorts are ongoing.

Funding Sources: Supported by a Rural Health and Safety Education grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.