Periodically, the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) will share examples of how members’ research is being applied for a variety of impacts. Today, our focus is on several U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiatives at the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Here are three brief examples.
- With NCCOR’s guidance and support from the Center for Training and Research Translation, FNS assembled a portfolio of existing, evidence-based, and actionable tools consistent with the context and policies of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and incorporating evidence-based obesity strategies in March 2013. The toolkit has gone through two iterations since; an edition with 30 more resources was published in May 2014. The SNAP-Ed Strategies and Interventions: An Obesity Prevention Toolkit for States offers state SNAP agencies potential interventions ready for implementation at the state level.
- The Healthy Incentives Pilot (HIP) was an exploratory initiative to determine if financial incentives provided at point-of-sale increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Its final report, released in fall 2014, provides valuable information about ways that financial incentives and SNAP can promote healthy eating.
- An review is underway examining food packages in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). An IOM expert panel will recommend changes to USDA/FNS that would align the food packages with the most current nutrition science. The Phase I report is expected in 2015 and the Phase II report is expected in late 2016/early 2017.