Addressing Nutritional Challenges in Low-income and Underserved Communities: The Role of Health Education Programs
Lovina Patrick Inyang *
Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio, US States.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aim: To review and analyze the role of health education programs in addressing nutritional challenges in low-income and underserved communities.
Study Design: The study design for this research is a review of health education interventions addressing nutritional challenges in low-income and underserved communities conducted between 2018 and 2024.
Methodology: This review includes peer-reviewed publications between January 2018 and August 2024. The literature search was conducted on the databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, CINAHL, and the National Library of Medicine. The studies included for review were those focusing on low-income communities, analyzing the contribution of health education programs in alleviating nutritional challenges, and were in the English language.
Results: A total of 11 studies met the predetermined inclusion criteria and were thus reviewed in detail. The literature review indicates that health education programs play a significant role in improving nutrition awareness and behavior change among low-income communities. Evidence shows that once health education programs are made accessible, culturally sensitive, and community-oriented, dietary habits tend to improve substantially and nutritional deficiencies decrease to some extent.
Conclusions: Nutrition health education programs have been useful in combating nutritional problems among low-income populations by building knowledge, promoting behavior, and undertaking long-term healthy eating. This review identifies that research will be required in the future to determine sustainable models specifically for health education in low-income communities. Expanding such programs in coverage and efficiency can bring about meaningful improvement in public health.
Keywords: Nutritional challenges, health education programs, low-income and underserved communities, diet and nutrition