Maine SNAP-Ed presents on intervention success and program best practices at national meeting

The University of New England Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) had several presentations at the national annual meeting of the Association of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA), held in Arlington, Virginia, from Feb. 7–9 and virtually on March 1.

The conference's theme was “Reconnect, Rebuild, Reimagine.” Invited speakers highlighted SNAP-Ed’s alignment with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases by 2030. Innovative approaches to increase nutrition security through equitable programming were a key focus of conference presentations.

CEPH staff from Maine SNAP-Ed presented on work related to program implementation, social marketing, program evaluation and data dissemination, and equity. Panel presentations highlighted work completed this past year through research and practice collaborations with state partners and academic peers from more than a dozen partnering universities.

The following individuals contributed to the presentations:

• Lori Kaley, M.S., RDN, MSB – Program Manager
• Pamela Bruno, M.P.H. – Senior Research Associate
• Kira Rodriguez, M.H.S. – Senior Research Associate
• Colleen Fuller, M.P.H. – Research Assistant
• Hannah Ruhl, M.P.H. – Obesity Prevention Coordinator

Presentations shared at the ASNNA 2023 in-person and virtual conferences:

• Kaley co-authored and presented “Maine’s SNAC Collaborative Approach Increases Nutrition Programming and Use of Nutrition Incentives,” covering state-level collaborations to implement initiatives that impact food and nutrition security for Mainers eligible for SNAP
• Bruno co-authored and presented “Asset Framing to Promote Equity and Inclusion through SNAP-Ed Evaluation,” which introduced a template and approach to program data dissemination that emphasizes community assets over deficits
• Fuller co-authored and presented — and Bruno, Ruhl, and Kaley co-authored — “Applying an Equity Audit to Reduce Stigma: Assessing a Maine SNAP-Ed Participant Cookbook,” which introduced a tool to assess and revise audience-facing program materials through an equity and trauma-informed lens
• Rodriguez co-authored “Understanding SNAP-Ed GIS Maps/Dashboards Uses and Needs,” which reported on mapping practices and capacity and made recommendations for national models for integrating mapping into assessment and evaluation
• Ruhl co-authored “Season to Taste: Variations in SNAP-Ed Social Marketing,” an overview of social marketing best practices for SNAP-Ed
• Bruno co-authored “Centering Equity in SNAP-Ed Evaluation,” a panel presentation highlighting national efforts to integrate equity frameworks into program evaluation
• Bruno co-authored “7-Year Analyses of Nationwide Trends in Use of the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework,” reporting on outcomes from the practitioner-led trend study of a national evaluation framework that informs program planning and evaluation

Maine SNAP-Ed, implemented by UNE through a contract with Maine’s Office for Family Independence, addresses nutrition 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 entities. ASNNA brings member implementing agencies together annually to share funding initiatives and advance best practices.