Maine SNAP-Ed well represented at national meeting of implementing agencies

Aerial image of 成人直播 Portland Campus
成人直播's Center for Excellence in Public Health had a strong presence at the national annual meeting of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA), held virtually from Feb. 8 to 10.

The 成人直播 Center for Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) had a strong presence at the national annual meeting of the Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators (ASNNA), held virtually from Feb. 8 to 10.

The conference theme was 鈥淭ransforming Tomorrow Together: Building on 30 Years of SNAP-Ed.鈥 The history of SNAP-Ed funding was highlighted along with emerging innovative approaches to alleviate hunger through equitable programming.

CEPH staff presented on work related to program evaluation, social marketing and media, and COVID-19鈥檚 impact on program delivery. Panel presentations highlighted work completed this past year through research and practice collaborations with academic peers from more than a dozen partnering universities.

CEPH鈥檚 Senior Research Associates Pamela Bruno, M.P.H., and Kira Rodriguez, M.H.S., contributed to presentations, as did Hannah Ruhl, M.P.H., the program鈥檚 obesity prevention coordinator. CEPH鈥檚 Tasha Gerken-Nelson, M.S., RD, senior nutrition program coordinator, co-chaired the conference planning committee.

The following presentations were shared at the 2022 ASNNA Virtual Annual Conference:

  • Bruno co-authored and presented the plenary session, 鈥淜eeping the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework on the Leading Edge 鈥 How ASNNA Practitioners Can Influence Excellence in SNAP-Ed Planning,鈥 which summarized evaluation findings using mixed methods to examine the uptake of a practitioner-driven framework for the nation鈥檚 largest nutrition education program
  • Ruhl co-authored and presented 鈥淎 SNAP-Ed Social Marketing Recipe for Success,鈥 an overview of social marketing best practices and a template for states to tailor and implement successful campaigns
  • Bruno co-authored and presented 鈥淐ollaboratively Strengthening Sectors of Influence-Level Indicators Through Group Learning and Reflection,鈥 a summary of practitioner focus group findings designed to inform best practices for sector-level work to address food security and health
  • Bruno co-authored 鈥淩eporting on COVID-19 Approaches, Outcomes, and Impact Using an Infographic Template,鈥 which summarized results of a national effort to coordinate dissemination of evaluation findings specific to pandemic-related SNAP-Ed interventions
  • Ruhl, Rodriguez, and Bruno co-authored 鈥淪ocial Capital 鈥 How SNAP-Ed鈥檚 greatest asset proves key to pandemic innovation and success,鈥 which examined how the concept of social capital can be applied to interventions, evaluation, and training to lift up the power of community engagement.

Maine SNAP-Ed, implemented by 成人直播 through a contract with Maine鈥檚 Office for Family Independence, addresses food 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-serving organizations. ASNNA brings member implementing agencies together annually to advance best practices.

Pamela Bruno, M.P.H.

Kira Rodriguez, M.H.S.

Hannah Ruhl, M.P.H.