The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

5155.0: Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 3:15 PM

Abstract #72013

Can a Very Large-Scale, Diverse Nutrition Initiative Be Evaluated at Multiple Levels of Impact?

Susan B. Foerster, MPH, RD1, Helen Chipman, PhD, RD, LN2, Joanne F Guthrie, PhD, MPH, RD3, Carol Olander4, Eileen S. Stommes5, Susan Nitzke, PhD, RD6, Cheryl Oros7, and Jane Voichick6. (1) Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, California Department of Health Services, PO Box 942732, MS 662, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, (916) 322-1520, sfoerste@dhs.ca.gov, (2) FSNEP/CSREES/USDA, South Dakota State University, Ag Hall 102, Box 2207D, South Dakota State University, Cooperative Ext. Service, Brookings, SD 57007-0093, (3) USDA-ERS-FANRP, Food and Drug Administration, 1800 M St. NW Room N-2154, Washington, DC 20036, (4) Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation, USDA-Food and Nutrition Services, 3101 Park Center Drive, Alexandria, VA 22302, (5) USDA/ERS/FRED/FANRP, 1800 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, (6) University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nutritional Sciences, 1415 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1571, (7) Director of Planning & Accountability, USDA-CSREES, 800 9th St. SW Rm 1315, Washington, DC 20024-2213

Participation in USDA’s Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, an optional 50:50 federal matching program, grew from a few states in the early 1990’s into the nation’s largest nutrition education initiative for low-income Americans, with nearly every state participating by 2003. Public health agencies are among the partners that created a variety of state-specific programs targeting diverse market segments using multiple types of interventions aimed at institutional, community and societal levels of change. With the nation’s obesity epidemic adding urgency to the problem of food insecurity/hunger, it is critical to know how well these efforts are working. How can such diverse activities be characterized? Do they make a difference? And can practical reporting systems that are meaningful to all the stakeholders be created? To answer these questions, the Society for Nutrition Education convened a conference to develop consensus, set specifications, assess the feasibility, and identify research needs for establishing a national data system. The process included three USDA agencies, CDC, state program managers, and experts from disciplines such as economics, sociology, communications, marketing, and political science. This paper will report on the project’s nationwide survey of evaluation practices, how USDA and CDC Logic Models guided the process, and the conclusions drawn about moving toward an automated, web-based reporting system. This conference went beyond measurement of individual behavior change, so the conclusions are relevant to anyone engaged in large-scale initiatives targeting diet, physical activity, healthy weight, and food security through policy, systems, and environmental interventions.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: , Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Handout (.ppt format, 122.5 kb)

Future Directions in Public Health Nutrition

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA