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

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.