Newswise — Philadelphia, June 8, 2023 –The US Department of Agriculture's SNAP-Ed offers nutrition programs to low-income individuals, such as students and their families, through community partners who execute these initiatives. A recent study published in Elsevier's Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior indicates that SNAP-Ed implementers can enhance a school's preparedness for programming by focusing on fostering relationships, building program capacity, and motivating schools.
Erin McCrossan, PhD, from the Office of Research and Evaluation at the School District of Philadelphia, who led the study, states that "SNAP-Ed implementers assess a school's readiness for change when deciding which programs to introduce. However, challenges like limited school staff, inadequate capacity, and unfavorable organizational climate frequently hinder program implementation."
In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of how SNAP-Ed community partners determine the suitability of programming for schools and identify the necessary organizational factors prior to program implementation, researchers conducted a data collection initiative within the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). This city experiences a higher poverty rate compared to other major cities in the United States and faces challenges related to food access and food insecurity. The study involved interviews and observations conducted at 19 SDP schools. Various activities were observed, such as assessing the level of student engagement in recess and physical education, the number of students consuming school meals, the presence of nutrition and physical activity-related signage, and interactions between staff members and students. Philadelphia is supported by seven SNAP-Ed agencies.
The study findings highlighted that SNAP-Ed implementers predominantly considered the current capacity of schools, including factors such as school climate, staff motivation, and administrative support, when determining programming decisions. Additionally, the data indicated that SNAP-Ed implementers could enhance school staff motivation and capacity to implement programs through various strategies. These strategies included building relationships with school staff, providing necessary resources and support, addressing specific needs, involving parents and families, and placing a priority on health within the school environment.
The study provides evidence that establishing strong relationships between SNAP-Ed implementers and school staff played a crucial role in boosting school staff motivation and capacity for program implementation. Rather than perceiving readiness as a fixed characteristic possessed or lacking within a school, the study suggests that SNAP-Ed implementers can adopt an active approach to cultivate readiness. This perspective emphasizes the implementers' responsibility in fostering a supportive environment and actively working towards building the necessary conditions for successful program implementation.
Dr. McCrossan highlights a significant concern, stating that when SNAP-Ed implementers primarily base their programming decisions on a school's existing capacity, they tend to overlook schools that are most in need. Unfortunately, it is often the highest-poverty schools that face the greatest challenges in terms of limited capacity. Paradoxically, these are the very schools that would benefit the most from health-promoting changes, as there is a strong connection between students' physical health and their social-emotional well-being, attendance, and academic performance. By neglecting schools with limited capacity, there is a missed opportunity to address the pressing health needs of vulnerable students and communities.
RSS