Creating a Minnesota Statewide SNAP-Ed Program Evaluation

Abstract

Systematic evaluation is an essential tool for understanding program effectiveness. This article describes the pilot test of a statewide evaluation tool for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program–Education (SNAP-Ed). A computer algorithm helped Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) build surveys specific to their varied educational settings and curricula. The algorithm determined whether a written evaluation survey was appropriate for audiences and provided a selection of questions based on key nutrition messages presented. Feedback from CNEs regarding the evaluation tool-building process with pre-existing questions indicated that, with revisions, there was value in implementing it on a statewide basis.