Projects

Project Overview

Since 1992, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) has helped low-income children and adults lead healthier lives through evidence-based programs. Although positive outcomes linked to SNAP-Ed interventions have been documented, the program lacks the data to tell the SNAP-Ed story at a national level. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has long recognized the need for better SNAP-Ed data. Expert roundtables, federal audits (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019), and the 2018 Farm Bill (Pub. L. 115–334) have stressed the importance of modernizing data from the states to analyze the outcomes and effects of SNAP-Ed. FNS made substantial progress toward this goal through our recent collaboration, Updating SNAP-Ed Data Collection Practices, where we produced an agenda and action plan for improved SNAP-Ed data.

With this project, Insight will help FNS build on this prior work. Specifically, Insight will—

• Develop a graphically oriented logic model FNS can use to manage agency performance and support program improvement.
• Continue to refine and add specificity to the recently developed action plan by engaging a steering committee and technical work groups on important topical areas.
• Conduct an environmental scan and in-depth interviews with subject matter experts.
• Increase continuity across the SNAP-Ed data life cycle by modernizing the state plan and annual report forms.

Insight’s final report will serve as an update to the Improved SNAP-Ed Data Agenda and Action Plan and include summary findings and recommendations gleaned from project activities and the graphically oriented logic model.

Products

Final report; updated state plan and annual report forms in a fillable-PDF