Methodological processes for implementing healthy vending at work sites or public facilities and the development of Nevada's first healthy vending toolkit

Nevada ranks as the 39th most obese state as 60.2% of Nevadans were obese or overweight in 2010. Changes in our behaviors, such as the food we consume and physical activity patterns, and the environment have been linked to prevalence of obesity. Small changes in the food environment can encourage healthy choices in an effort to combat the rising rates of obesity. In October 2011, a healthy vending policy and program were developed and implemented at a highly utilized health district building that serves the public. The policy required 80% of vending items meet FitPick guidelines and a phased-in approach was utilized over a four-month period to assist in achieving this goal. As a result, a healthy vending toolkit was created to assist others with implementation of healthy vending at work sites or public facilities. An initial needs assessment was conducted and a tasting of food and beverage samples were provided to ensure that new food items that met PickFit criteria also met the needs of primary vending machine users. Surveys were conducted regarding point-of-decision, personal choice and satisfaction of food and beverage items during transactions at the vending machines. To ensure successful adherence to the policy, challenges and barriers that accompany the implementation of the policy, the opportunities to create partnerships, innovative approaches to promote healthy vending, information regarding process evaluation and educational and promotional efforts will be discussed.