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The HSR WIC
Services Team has extensive experience researching issues affecting nutrition
education. HSR has conducted these studies on the national and state levels,
and can use this research experience to help improve your program or evaluate
pieces of your WIC program.
See the study
descriptions below for examples.
Evaluation
of Statewide Nutrition Education Networks
Under two contracts
with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service,
HSR provided technical assistance to 22 State agencies awarded Federal
Nutrition Education Cooperative Agreements. These State agencies were
funded to establish statewide nutrition education coalitions/networks.
The focus of HSR's technical assistance was on skill-building for the
members of each State coalition in the following areas:
- Building and
sustaining coalition membership;
- Dividing responsibilities
and developing leadership;
- Articulating
a clear mission;
- Developing formalized
rules and procedures for the functioning of the coalition;
- Conducting a
needs assessment;
- Developing detailed
work plans and budgets; and
- Planning for
on-going self-evaluation and sustainability.
Under the contracts,
HSR and its subcontractor were also responsible for the design, development,
and implementation of a process evaluation. This effort designed a system
with which to evaluate the States' coalition-building efforts. Three
manuals were also created as a part of this project to be used as tools
for States or nutrition education coalitions/networks to conduct needs
assessments and social marketing campaigns and to evaluate social marketing
campaigns.
Food
Stamp Nutrition Education Study
Food
Stamp Nutrition Education Study: Case Study Reports
The phenomenal
growth of food stamp nutrition education over the last several years
is a testament to both its importance and popularity. Under a contract
with the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service
(FNS), HSR conducted a study to provide FNS with descriptive information
about how States have elected to provide nutrition education and information
to food stamp recipients and eligibles. The specific objectives of the
study were to:
- Describe the
organizational structure and administrative components of the agencies
implementing food stamp nutrition education;
- Describe the
key design features of food stamp nutrition education activities,
including setting goals and objectives, identifying the target audience
and developing nutrition education messages;
- Describe approaches
being used by States to implement their nutrition education activities,
including developing nutrition education materials and designing
methods by which nutrition education can be delivered; and
- Describe efforts
to assess the effectiveness of the nutrition education programs,
including examining barriers identified by the States that have
affected their ability to implement their program, identifying some
of the lessons learned by the implementing agencies, and discussing
efforts made by agencies to conduct evaluations of their programs.
Contact
us for assistance with your nutrition education efforts.
Focus
Group Study for the Nevada Nutrition Support Network
Under contract
with the Nevada Nutrition Support Network, administered through the
Department of Nutrition at the University of Nevada-Reno, HSR conducted
a qualitative study of the nutrition knowledge and dietary practices
of middle school children in Las Vegas, Nevada. The results from this
study informed the development of a nutrition education social marketing
campaign targeted to 11- to 14-year-old low-income children in Nevada.
Contact
us for more information.
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