Evaluation Indicators: Environmental Settings: Long Term

Project breakFAST (Fueling Academics and Strengthening Teens)

Project breakFAST is a Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change intervention designed to increase high school breakfast participation. In this intervention, a school breakfast team, made up of students, school food service, administration, teachers, and other key staff is formed to design and implement a grab-and-go breakfast outside the traditional cafeteria setting. School policies are changed to allow students to eat school breakfast in the hallways or classrooms. A student-led marketing campaign is conducted to encourage students to eat school breakfast. With the increased school breakfast participation, most schools are able to recoup start-up costs within one month and make a profit on school breakfast. Project breakFAST promotes healthier eating as high school students ate breakfast more often, ate more fruit servings, and did not have a change in overall calorie intake despite the increase in eating breakfast. Project breakFAST also addresses food insecurity as breakfast participation increased among low-income students and regular pay students. 

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Food Insecurity/Food Assistance 

Intervention Type: PSE Change.

The Safe and Healthy Food Pantries Project (SHFPP)

The Safe and Healthy Food Pantries Project (SHFPP) is a PSE change intervention designed to improve the food environment and food safety practices within an emergency food pantry. The SHFPP manual provides tools to support the adoption of research-informed strategies likely to expand access and promote safe and healthy food. Users are encouraged to follow an action cycle with 5 steps outlined in the manual (e.g., assessment, strategies, action planning, implementation, and evaluation). The project is implemented and maintained with collaboration between SNAP-Ed educators, food pantry staff and volunteers, and other stakeholders. This team is encouraged to assess where changes can be made including readiness and sources of food procurement. The stand-alone tools help guide the team to plan policies and practices that change the food pantry environment in terms of health and safety. Example strategies include donor education, improvements in food layout or display, signage, procuring local food, and food safety and nutrition policies. Finally, the toolkit emphasizes continuously evaluating and assessing the efforts and changes made in the pantry.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Food Insecurity/Food Assistance, Other: Food Safety

 Intervention Type: PSE Change

Culture of Wellness in Preschools: Policy, System and Environment Change Process (COWP)

The Culture of Wellness in Preschools, Policy, System and Environment Change Process (COWP PSE Change Process) is a PSE change intervention designed to implement an average of five changes that promote healthy eating and physical activity in early childcare centers. Interdisciplinary wellness teams are comprised of 3-8 early childcare center staff who work together to participate in three key change-making strategies: 1) conducting a strengths and needs assessment related to healthy eating and physical activity practices, 2) prioritizing best practice PSE changes based on importance and feasibility, and 3) developing action steps and planning for implementation and sustainability. Toolkit materials are provided to each site to support the implementation of their selected PSE changes. COWP facilitators help early childcare center staff develop center-specific wellness policies highlighting their adopted PSE changes to ensure sustainability.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time

Intervention Type: PSE Change

The Children’s Healthy Living (CHL) Program

The Children’s Healthy Living Program (CHL) is a direct education, social marketing, and PSE change intervention designed to help children ages 2-8 in pacific communities decrease sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake, increase water intake, increase fruit and vegetable intake, decrease recreational screen time, increase physical activity, and increase the duration of sleep. The CHL toolkit has 4 functions that partners can choose from: 1) strengthen and implement school wellness policies, 2) partner and advocate for environmental change, 3) promote the CHL message, and 4) train trainers (capacity building) that address healthy behaviors at multiple levels of the social ecological model. Nineteen specific activities are recommended under each of the 4 functions. These activities promote PSE changes through the development of community strengths and interests. 

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time

Intervention Type: Direct Education, Social Marketing, PSE Change

The Early Childhood Program Wellness Policy Workbook

The Early Childhood Program Wellness Policy Workbook is designed to promote the adoption of wellness policies and implementation of best practices at the center level to create cultures of health within child care facilities, which positively impact early childhood providers’ knowledge and skills about healthy eating and physical activity (PA), provide tools and resources for child care facilities to help parents and families increase healthy eating and PA, and expose children to healthy foods and PA at a young age. It helps centers learn how to approach these issues and embed best practices into their ongoing activities to create a culture of health and wellness within their environments.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Reducing Screen Time, Other: staff wellness

Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change

Healthy Nutrition Guidelines for LA County

The Healthy Food Procurement Initiative in Los Angeles County is a PSE Change intervention designed to improve the quality of food purchased and offered in food service contracts through the implementation of nutrition standards. In 2011, the County of Los Angeles (“County”) Board of Supervisors adopted Healthy Food Promotion in Los Angeles County Food Service Contracts, a motion aimed at County departmental food procurement policies and practices as they relate to nutrition. The motion established a process for the County’s Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop nutrition standards and/or healthy food procurement practices in new and renewing Requests for Proposals (RFP) for food service and vending contracts across County departments.

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Connecticut Breastfeeding Initiative (CBI)

The Connecticut Breastfeeding Initiative (CBI) is a PSE Change intervention designed to promote practices in maternity facilities that support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding provide the foundation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The Steps focus on breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, and rooming in, among other elements. By providing a state-level support system of training, technical assistance, and financial assistance, the CBI assisted multiple hospitals in progressing down the 4-D Pathway with the intention of becoming Baby-Friendly designated. The cornerstone of the CBI is the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) at the hospital level.

NOTE: Portions of this initiative may be SNAP-Ed appropriate. Should be done in collaboration with WIC and other maternal and child health programs.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding

Intervention Type: PSE Change

Healthy Apple Program

The Healthy Apple Program is a PSE Change tool designed to improve the nutrition, physical activity practices, and environment of child care facilities. The program recognizes achievements by issuing awards to child care providers who make improvements and reach their goals.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change

I am Moving, I am Learning (IMIL)

I am Moving, I am Learning (IMIL) is a direct education and PSE Change intervention designed to increase daily moderate-to vigorous physical activity, improve the quality of movement activities, and promote healthy food choices among preschool children. As an “active learning” curriculum enhancement, IMIL augments what early learning settings already do to promote physical activity and healthier nutrition. 

Target Behavior: Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: Direct Education, PSE Change

First Years in the First State

The First Years in the First State is a PSE change intervention designed to improve the quality of nutrition, physical activity and screen-viewing activities in child care centers in Delaware by providing training on the new regulations licensed childcare centers, which were changed to better align with best practice. This program provided training and toolkits, evaluates providers’ knowledge of the rules, and satisfaction with the training content and format.

Target Behavior: Breastfeeding, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity

Intervention Type: PSE Change