Inadequate nutrition and a lack of physical activity contributed to functional decline and complications from chronic diseases in older adults. The pandemic halted or altered necessary Older Americans Act (OAA) nutrition services provided to vulnerable community-dwelling older adults in San Antonio, Texas. The "digital divide," or gap in technological access and knowledge, further heightened the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults who were “digitally excluded” from social, economic, and health-related interactions.

During the pandemic, seven San Antonio congregate meal sites located in areas with high poverty and digital exclusion remained partially open biweekly to distribute meals but no longer offered in-person nutrition education, physical activity classes, or social activities.

The project extended the existing congregate meal programming infrastructure and partnerships with Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) to provide a sustainable approach focused on older adult health. This digital nutrition intervention study targeted technologically limited older adults enrolled in the congregate meal program (CMP) using a stepped-wedge cluster clinical trial to allow for sequential intervention enrollment with simultaneous control and intervention data collection timepoints.