Best Practices and Innovative Solutions to Overcome Barriers to Delivering Policy, Systems and Environmental Changes in Rural Communities
1
Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
2
Department of Global Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
3
Department of Public Health, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2018, 10(8), 1012; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081012
Received: 6 July 2018 / Revised: 25 July 2018 / Accepted: 30 July 2018 / Published: 3 August 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Vulnerable Groups)
To better understand the barriers to implementing policy; systems; and environmental (PSE) change initiatives within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) programming in U.S. rural communities; as well as strategies to overcome these barriers, this study identifies: (1) the types of nutrition-related PSE SNAP-Ed programming currently being implemented in rural communities; (2) barriers to implementing PSE in rural communities; and (3) common best practices and innovative solutions to overcoming SNAP-Ed PSE implementation barriers. This mixed-methods study included online surveys and interviews across fifteen states. Participants were eligible if they: (1) were SNAP-Ed staff that were intimately aware of facilitators and barriers to implementing programs, (2) implemented at least 50% of their programming in rural communities, and (3) worked in their role for at least 12 months. Sixty-five staff completed the online survey and 27 participated in interviews. Barriers to PSE included obtaining community buy-in, the need for relationship building, and PSE education. Facilitators included finding community champions; identifying early “wins” so that community members could easily see PSE benefits. Partnerships between SNAP-Ed programs and non-SNAP-Ed organizations are essential to implementing PSE. SNAP-Ed staff should get buy-in from local leaders before implementing PSE. Technical assistance for rural SNAP-Ed programs would be helpful in promoting PSE.
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Keywords:
rural populations; food assistance; low-income
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MDPI and ACS Style
Haynes-Maslow, L.; Osborne, I.; Jilcott Pitts, S.B. Best Practices and Innovative Solutions to Overcome Barriers to Delivering Policy, Systems and Environmental Changes in Rural Communities. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1012.
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