ST2: Food Resource Management

Framework Component

Readiness & Capacity – Goals and Intentions

Indicator Description

Individual and family goals and intentions that reflect smarter shopping and food resource management (FRM) strategies, enabling participants to stretch their food resource dollars to support a healthier diet.

Background and Context

Indicator ST2 measures intent to change and goals resulting from a single education lesson or a series of food resource management classes with SNAP-Ed adults and youth. Differences in reportable outcomes may be explained by the intensity of food resource management programming received by participants. Depending on setting and time availability, surveys and questions noted below may be conducted in a pre- and post-test design or in a post-test only design such as used in the University of California (UC) CalFresh Intent to Change surveys. Some of the questions may need to be updated to reflect the latest dietary guidelines. Using multiple measures of intent and goal setting strengthens the likelihood of determining that participants are motivated to improve their food resource management practices. At present, there is no standardized survey instrument or composite score used in SNAP-Ed programming due to the variety of curricula and population subgroups served. Evaluators are encouraged to measure the degree of correlation among the individual measures presented in this indicator. Results may be limited due to self-report biases (e.g., recall and social desirability).

Outcome Measures

The number of adults/heads of households who set goals and/or changes in level of intent to practice food resource management behaviors.

Healthful Shopping Practices: Setting goals or changes in intent related to the following shopping behaviors:

ST2a. Choose healthy foods for my family on a budget
ST2b. Read nutrition facts label or nutrition ingredients lists
ST2c. Buy 100 percent whole grain products
ST2d. Buy low-fat milk or dairy products
ST2e. Buy foods with lower added:

2e1. Solid fats (saturated and/or trans)
2e2. Sugar
2e3. Salt/sodium
ST2f. Buy fruits and vegetables—fresh, frozen, dried, or canned in 100 percent juice

Stretch Food Dollars: Setting goals or changes in intent related to the following shopping behaviors:

ST2g.  Not run out of food before month’s end
ST2h.  Compare prices before buying foods
ST2i. Identify foods on sale or use coupons to save money
ST2j. Shop with a list
ST2k. Batch cook (cook once; eat many times)
ST2l. Use unit pricing to find best values
ST2m.  Cook healthy foods on a budget

What to Measure

SNAP-Ed participants who indicate an intent to practice at least one method for managing their food resources through food shopping practices, food storage, food preparation, and budgeting. Choose at least one outcome measure from the list provided, and select a measurement approach based upon the type of survey question and responses. The example surveys and sample questions listed below are for matched pre- and post-test outcome measurements of intention and goals. Some surveys, such as intent, can be used to measure post-test only responses of intent (e.g., University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education intent surveys).

For a description on ordinal and nominal outcomes, please see Appendix D.

Population

Adults (ages 18+), high school or transitional aged youth who are the primary shoppers/meal preparers

Surveys and Data Collection Tools

ADULTS

 https://cookingmatters.org/courses

Q31   How confident are you that you can choose the best-priced form of fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned)? [ST2f]

Q33   How confident are you that you can buy healthy foods for your family on a budget? [ST2a]

Q34   How confident are you that you can cook healthy foods for your family on a budget? [ST2m]

Responses: Not at all confident, Not very confident, Neutral, Somewhat confident, Very confident, Does not Apply

https://leahspantry.org/programs/food-smarts/

How confident are you that you can:

  1. Read a label for nutrition information. [ST2b]
  2. Use serving size to compare foods for sugar or sodium amount. [ST2e2, 2e3]
  3. Identify whole grain foods from the ingredients label. [ST2b, c]

Responses: Not at all confident, Not very confident, Neutral, Somewhat confident, Very confident, Does not Apply

 https://eatfresh.org/

The following questions are derived from pre- and post-tests administered before the beginning and at the end of a series of five short online modules. These questions are taken from the following modules:

  • Find Low-Sodium Foods Using Nutrition Facts Labels
  • How Much Sugar Is Really in Your Favorite Drink?
  • Outsmart the Grocery Store!
  • Can You Identify These Healthy Whole Grains?
  • Eating a Healthy Breakfast Is Easier Than You Think!

1. When grocery shopping, how confident are you that you can:

  1. Read a label for nutrition information on sodium, fats, fiber, etc. [ST2b]
  2. Read a label on a beverage can and convert grams of sugar into teaspoons. [ST2b]
  3. Develop a grocery list and stick to it when I shop [ST2j]
  4. Use serving size to compare foods for sugar or sodium content [ST2e2, 2e3]
  5. Identify whole grain foods from the ingredients [ST2b, c]
  6. Distinguish between foods and beverages that have natural sugar and those that have added sugar. [ST2b, 2e3]
  7. Compare unit prices of similar foods to find the best value [ST2h,l]

Responses: Not at all confident, Not very confident, Neutral, Somewhat confident, Very confident

https://uccalfresh.ucdavis.edu/evaluation/adult (please click on the Contact Us link to request access to the instruments)

Intent to Change Surveys: Evaluation tool for single-session workshops

One form with question related to food resource management: Nutrition Facts Label

Questions are given to participants on a 4×6 card format:

EXAMPLE: Q2. The next time you go shopping, will you use the “Nutrition Facts Label” to choose foods? Yes  Maybe   No [MT2b]

Additional evaluation tools to measure ST2 can be found in the SNAP-Ed Library.

Key Glossary Terms

Food Resource Management (FRM)

Additional Resources or Supporting Citations

N/A

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