P56 - Easy Choices: Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice

Abstract

Objective: To increase nutrition educators' ability to provide programming that promotes healthy behaviors for limited-resource participants and communities through changes in policies, systems and environments. Target Audience: Extension agents working with partners at a variety of community sites serving SNAP-Ed audiences. Theory, Prior Research, Rationale: This program used the socioecological model. Description: Easy Choices is a collection of tools and resources designed for Extension agents to facilitate change among SNAP-Ed audiences at partner sites. The focus was on providing programs that targeted changes in policies, systems, and environments (PSE) that would increase healthy behaviors for limited-resource audiences. Extension agents worked with agency partners to assess the needs for their site related to active living and healthy eating choices. This assessment informed the type of intervention to be conducted. Extension agents facilitate the process and changes are implemented and sustained by the partners at the site. State SNAP-Ed staff provided ongoing support to educators to assist with implementation issues and concerns. Evaluation: Extension agents completed surveys at each phase of the project to provide feedback and information about outcomes. Eight sites participated in the project with 141 limited-resource participants actively involved in the program. Sites were primarily senior centers. PSE changes included unwritten policies regarding types of food offered at meetings and gatherings and mapping of walking routes. Additional changes included offering exercise classes and walking groups. Conclusions and Implications: This program promoted PSE changes with limited-resource audiences. For Extension agents or other professionals to facilitate PSE interventions, programs such as Easy Choices need to provide tools and resources to help agents and other professionals work effectively with partners and participants. This presentation will focus on the materials and training provided, including the assessment tool and implementation guidance and support. Funding: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—Education.