Fresh Conversations, a SNAP-Ed Program for Older Adults: Feedback From Program Facilitators.

Objective: As part of a statewide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education program evaluation, Fresh Conversations (FC) facilitators (ie, educators) provided input into a new delivery model.

Methods: The researchers interviewed 25 FC facilitators. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for common themes.

Nutritional Risk among Congregate Meal Site Participants: Benefits of a SNAP-Ed Program.

This study examined the impact of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) program Fresh Conversations (FC) on the nutritional risk (NR) of older adults (OAs). A convenience sample of OAs (207 Treatment, 148 Control) completed questionnaires comprised of validated measures to assess NR, barriers to healthy eating self-efficacy (SE), food safety behaviors (FSB), and food security (FS) at three-time points over 9 months. Participants were mostly white (92.

Understanding the Process of Prioritizing Fruit and Vegetable Purchases in Families With Low Incomes: "A Peach May Not Fill You Up as Much as Hamburger".

Fruits and vegetables (F&V) are an important component of a healthy diet, but few children are meeting the recommended number of servings. Children from families with limited resources may be least likely to meet the recommendation. This study was designed to understand the strategies and priorities of families with low income related to purchasing F&V.

The importance of matching the evaluation population to the intervention population: Using Medicaid data to reach hard-to-reach intervention populations.

Subject recruitment is a challenge for researchers and evaluators, particularly with populations that are traditionally hard to reach and involve in research, such as low-income and minority groups. However, when the evaluation sample does not reflect a program's intended audience, the discrepancy may lead to evaluation results that are not valid for that audience. We conducted evaluation activities for a state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) intervention that promotes consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V) in low-income areas.

Adding a Social Marketing Campaign to a School-Based Nutrition Education Program Improves Children's Dietary Intake: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Evidence supports the use of social marketing campaigns to improve nutrition knowledge and reinforce the effects of nutrition education programs. However, the additional effects of parent-focused social marketing with nutrition education have received little attention.

Objective: Our aim was to assess the impact of the Iowa Nutrition Network's school-based nutrition education program (Building and Strengthening Iowa Community Support for Nutrition and Physical Activity [BASICS]) and the benefits of adding a multichannel social marketing intervention (BASICS Plus) to increase parent-directed communication.