Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Strategies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed)

Burke, M. P., Gleason, S., Singh, A., & Wilkin, M. K. (2022). Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Strategies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 54(4), 320–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2021.09.008

Objective: To categorize and quantify how states planned to use policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change strategies in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). Methods: Qualitative content analysis of SNAP-Ed annual plans from all 50 states, District of Columbia, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands between fiscal years 2014 and 2016. Results: Between 2014 and 2016, the percentage of states that included PSEs as a statewide goal increased from 25% to 47%, and the percentage that planned to implement at least 1 PSE increased from 56% to 98%. Among states that planned to implement PSEs in 2016, the 3 most common settings were places in which people learn (92%), live (90%), and work (83%). Conclusions and Implications: The increased planned use of PSEs in SNAP-Ed was considerable and encouraging as PSEs are important to use in conjunction with direct education and social marketing to improve nutrition and prevent obesity. © 2021