Maine SNAP-Ed well represented at national meeting of implementing agencies

The University of New England Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) had a strong presence at the national annual meeting of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA), held virtually from Feb. 8 to 10.

The conference theme was “Transforming Tomorrow Together: Building on 30 Years of SNAP-Ed.” The history of SNAP-Ed funding was highlighted along with emerging innovative approaches to alleviate hunger through equitable programming.

CEPH staff presented on work related to program evaluation, social marketing and media, and COVID-19’s impact on program delivery. Panel presentations highlighted work completed this past year through research and practice collaborations with academic peers from more than a dozen partnering universities.

CEPH’s Senior Research Associates Pamela Bruno, M.P.H., and Kira Rodriguez, M.H.S., contributed to presentations, as did Hannah Ruhl, M.P.H., the program’s obesity prevention coordinator. CEPH’s Tasha Gerken-Nelson, M.S., RD, senior nutrition program coordinator, co-chaired the conference planning committee.

The following presentations were shared at the 2022 ASNNA Virtual Annual Conference:

• Bruno co-authored and presented the plenary session, “Keeping the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework on the Leading Edge – How ASNNA Practitioners Can Influence Excellence in SNAP-Ed Planning,” which summarized evaluation findings using mixed methods to examine the uptake of a practitioner-driven framework for the nation’s largest nutrition education program
• Ruhl co-authored and presented “A SNAP-Ed Social Marketing Recipe for Success,” an overview of social marketing best practices and a template for states to tailor and implement successful campaigns
• Bruno co-authored and presented “Collaboratively Strengthening Sectors of Influence-Level Indicators Through Group Learning and Reflection,” a summary of practitioner focus group findings designed to inform best practices for sector-level work to address food security and health
• Bruno co-authored “Reporting on COVID-19 Approaches, Outcomes, and Impact Using an Infographic Template,” which summarized results of a national effort to coordinate dissemination of evaluation findings specific to pandemic-related SNAP-Ed interventions
• Ruhl, Rodriguez, and Bruno co-authored “Social Capital – How SNAP-Ed’s greatest asset proves key to pandemic innovation and success,” which examined how the concept of social capital can be applied to interventions, evaluation, and training to lift up the power of community engagement.

Maine SNAP-Ed, implemented by UNE through a contract with Maine’s Office for Family Independence, addresses food security and wellness in low-resource settings across the state. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) and is granted to over 160 agencies throughout the nation. Implementing agencies include universities, nonprofits, state health and agriculture departments, and tribal-serving organizations. ASNNA brings member implementing agencies together annually to advance best practices.