Healthy Eating in K-12 Schools: Assessing Readiness and Capacity to Guide SNAP-Ed Programming in Ohio

Abstract

Objective: Identify themes essential to implementing policy, system, and environmental (PSE) interventions within kindergarten to 12th-grade (K-12) settings and provide associated indicators of readiness and capacity to support healthy eating PSE work among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) practitioners in Ohio.

Design: Interview data were collected in Ohio from December, 2020 to May, 2021.

Participants: Ohio SNAP-Ed practitioners (n = 12), community residents with low income (n = 26), and K-12 experts statewide (n = 10) and nationally (n = 3).

Phenomenon of interest: Healthy eating PSE implementation.

Analysis: We conducted a qualitative analysis to identify themes and indicators related to implementing healthy eating PSEs in schools. During virtual consensus conferences (December, 2021-April, 2022), themes and indicators were sorted and ranked by perceived importance to PSE implementation.

Results: Four themes and 14 indicators were identified. Expert-derived weights quantified the themes' importance to PSE implementation efforts in K-12. Themes included: (1) school system support and capacity (weight 0.372), (2) school food environment (0.278), (3) SNAP-Ed practitioner capacity and resources (0.192), and (4) familial influence and awareness (0.158).

Conclusions and implications: Findings provide guidance for tailoring healthy eating PSEs in K-12 schools using local levels of readiness and capacity. Results highlight targeted areas of focus to support the implementation of healthy eating PSE interventions in K-12 schools through SNAP-Ed programming in diverse contexts. Future research is needed on the applicability of these findings based on feedback from school district staff and community members with children in different school settings.

Keywords: SNAP; SNAP-Ed; and environment; community readiness; implementation science; policy; system.