背景:食物不安全仍然是美国大学生的风险。它与许多问题有关,比如慢性健康状况,增加压力和焦虑,和较低的平均成绩点。在COVID-19之后,补充营养援助计划(SNAP)的福利扩大到了大学生;然而,参与有一些障碍,持续存在,例如缺乏感知的粮食不安全风险,缺乏有关SNAP申请流程的知识,确定资格的复杂性,以及与需要社会援助相关的耻辱。开发了一种技术增强工具来解决SNAP入学的这些障碍,并鼓励有风险的大学生申请SNAP。
目的:本研究的目的是测试为大学生设计的基于网络的SNAP筛选工具的可用性和可接受性。
方法:招募18-25岁的大学生参加2022年秋季的两轮可用性测试。参与者使用标准化的大声思考方法测试了基于网络的SNAP筛选器工具的原型。使用半结构化访谈和经过10个项目验证的系统可用性量表问卷评估了该工具的可用性和可接受性。通过将反馈提取和分类为正面或负面评论,系统地审查了录音和现场笔记。系统可用性量表问卷数据采用Wilcoxon符号秩检验和符号检验进行分析。
结果:共有12名学生(平均年龄21.8,SD2.8岁;n=6,50%本科生;n=11,92%女性;n=7,58%西班牙裔或黑人或非裔美国人;n=9,78%低或非常低的食品安全)参加了两轮用户测试。第1轮测试强调了该工具的总体积极经验,大多数参与者(10/12)表示该网站实现了其主要目标,作为鼓励大学生申请SNAP的支持工具。然而,与用户界面设计相关的问题,导航,并注意到筛选工具中一些问题的措辞。第一轮后的关键变化反映了这些担忧,包括改进的响应按钮和工具标志的设计和提高筛选问题的清晰度。整体系统可用性显示轻微,但没有统计学意义,第1轮和第2轮之间的改善(分别为91.25对92.50;P=.10)。
结论:总体可用性研究结果表明,这个基于网络的工具对城市大学生来说是高度可用和可接受的,并且作为向大学生介绍SNAP申请过程的支持工具,可能是一种有效和有吸引力的方法。这项研究的结果将为该工具的进一步开发提供信息,最终可以在各个大学校园中公开传播。
BACKGROUND: Food insecurity continues to be a risk for college students in the United States. It is associated with numerous problems, such as chronic health conditions, increased stress and anxiety, and a lower grade point average. After COVID-19, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (
SNAP) benefits were extended to college-aged students; however, there were some barriers to participation, which persisted such as lack of perceived food insecurity risk, lack of knowledge regarding the SNAP application process, the complexity of determining eligibility, and stigma associated with needing social assistance. A technology-enhanced tool was developed to address these barriers to
SNAP enrollment and encourage at-risk college students to apply for
SNAP.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the usability and acceptability of a web-based
SNAP screening tool designed for college-aged students.
METHODS: College students aged 18-25 years were recruited to participate in 2 rounds of usability testing during fall 2022. Participants tested the prototype of a web-based
SNAP screener tool using a standardized think-aloud method. The usability and acceptability of the tool were assessed using a semistructured interview and a 10-item validated System Usability Scale questionnaire. Audio recordings and field notes were systematically reviewed by extracting and sorting feedback as positive or negative comments. System Usability Scale questionnaire data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and sign test.
RESULTS: A total of 12 students (mean age 21.8, SD 2.8 years; n=6, 50% undergraduate; n=11, 92% female; n=7, 58% Hispanic or Black or African American; n=9, 78% low or very low food security) participated in both rounds of user testing. Round 1 testing highlighted overall positive experiences with the tool, with most participants (10/12) stating that the website fulfills its primary objective as a support tool to encourage college students to apply for
SNAP. However, issues related to user interface design, navigation, and wording of some questions in the screening tool were noted. Key changes after round 1 reflected these concerns, including improved design of response buttons and tool logo and improved clarity of screening questions. The overall system usability showed slight, but not statistically significant, improvement between round 1 and round 2 (91.25 vs 92.50; P=.10, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Overall usability findings suggest that this web-based tool was highly usable and acceptable to urban college students and could be an effective and appealing approach as a support tool to introduce college students to the SNAP application process. The findings from this study will inform further development of the tool, which could eventually be disseminated publicly among various college campuses.