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New Jersey Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program Support Network FY 2006
Principal investigator: Dr. Debrah Palmer
SITUATION STATEMENT AND PROJECT RATIONALE
The Network is the only statewide collaborative project in New Jersey that encourages state agencies, community based organizations, private industry, non-profit organizations, faith based organizations, trade organizations and voluntary health agencies to work cooperatively to ensure nutrition education for food stamp families and individuals. Since its’ inception in 1996, the State Network meets tri-annually on a quarterly basis (excluding the summer), and the results have been very encouraging. The network partners work together with their respective satellites to oversee the development and implementation of the FSNEP. Much of the growth of our FSNEP program is attributable to the relationships that the network has forged.
The Network has met all objectives established in FY 2005 including the finalization and the completion of the social marketing materials. The Hispanic brochure was completed and underwent expert review. The tear pads designed for the medical community were also produced. A mailing to the Medicaid family care practitioners and pediatricians was completed in March and accompanied by a letter of endorsement from the Chief Medical Officer for Horizon NJ Health, the largest HMO in the state and the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association. The campaign piloted in Essex and Passaic counties in October ’05.Literature has been disseminated through community-based organizations and network partners such as WIC and Headstart Centers. Ongoing trainings are being conducted with patient advocates, teachers, community liaisons, faith-based organizations and through the FSNEP country programs. This will continue into FY ’06. To further support campaign efforts premiums were developed and are being distributed as incentives with the target audience as giveaways after classes. Premiums carry the “Select to Protect” message in both English and Spanish. They are also being distributed by Network Partners and collaborating FNS programs that are supporting the Calcium Select to Protect program. Milk carton piggy banks are being used with Head Start preschoolers as an in classroom activity to encourage children to drink their mil. These Incentives consist of refrigerator pads with a calcium foods checklist for shopping; refrigerator magnets with the calcium message, stress balls in the shape of cows, and shopping carts, shopping bags, measuring cups and milk carton piggy banks. Horizon NJ Health, a social marketing sponsor will plan trainings with both their provider and provider relations staff on use of the program materials. Their staff will also assist the Network in monitoring requests for additional materials as part of the evaluation components of the campaign.
The pre-campaign surveys were completed. Both Shop Rite and Pathmark have provided access to their data for Food Stamp and WIC transactions. The dates is being compiled and sorted so that shopping behaviors which result in increased purchases of calcium rich food items can be determined and tracked for evaluation purposes. In store events have been planned with both Shop Rite and Pathmark in September FY ’05 including supermarket tours, food demos, signage, promotional support, and advertising in weekly fliers.
The production of outdoor advertising has been completed and has been posted in Passaic County with locations reserved in Essex for posting in July. Locations have strategically placed on the sides of buildings in communities where the target audience resides. Distribution of campaign materials are being provided to local businesses in these areas including: bodegas, beauty salons, laundry mats and doctors offices to further enhance the social marketing message within their communities.
The following social marketing components are planned and will be completed during FY 2006.
Phase VI
- Continuation of campaign pilot in Essex and Passaic counties through November of FY 2006 with Network Partners, organizations, healthcare providers and retailers.
- Posters distributed at locations that the target audience frequents
- Shopper card program where grocers will reinforce the calcium message by providing visibility and discounts on calcium-rich foods through existing shopper card programs.
- Launch of statewide campaign in December/January of FY ‘06
- Additional copies of social marketing materials will be produced for statewide distribution with amendments made if needed
- Conduct qualitative focus group studies with adolescents for expansion of the campaign
- Research applied to design of social marketing materials targeting this group
- Hire graduate student work study
- Periodic evaluations with Network Partners who are distributing campaign materials
- Participants join in health fairs
Phase V
- Collection and analysis of data regarding post-campaign knowledge, intake and purchase of calcium-rich foods by caregivers
- Phone survey research conducted with the target audience as post evaluation component
- Plans will be developed for the expansion to a statewide program
- Statewide in-store promotions with the retail food chains
- Fund raising efforts will continue
- Trainings and educational efforts to support social marketing project including campaign kits will be ongoing.
To further support the social marketing campaign the expansion and enhancement of the Social Marketing Section of the FSNEP website is in progress so that campaign developments and materials can be shared with other networks and collaborating partners. One of the goals of the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Support Network is to increase calcium intake among limited resource children and adolescents in the state of New Jersey. To achieve this goal social marketing initiatives will be disseminated and shared with professionals, consumers, and academics. In support of the SNAP initiative a new section of the website was developed entitled the “Team Achievement Award.” The section includes an online application for nominations on nutrition education projects that reach food stamp audiences through 2 or more collaborating FNS partnerships. This showcases the strength of the NJ Support Network’s commitment to interagency collaboration and sharing best practices across the country. In line with this strategic direction the FSNEP website will support this initiative by:
- Reinforcing all offline communication by providing the ability to download social marketing materials from the website in PDF format, this will conserve printing costs and provide another medium to acquire campaign materials such as: educational brochures, posters etc.
- Providing a conduit to allow the Rutgers staff to obtain feedback from professionals on the social marketing program.
- Allowing the Network to build relationships and dialogue with professionals who can be future advocates, local leaders or community liaisons who will support the social marketing campaign and the Network’s mission.
- Show New Jersey’s commitment to Statewide Nutrition Action Plan.
One of the ongoing challenges facing Network is to raise incremental in-kind funds to support the social marketing campaign from both private industry and foundation grants. These funds will serve to enhance and expand existing network funds for future expansion of the campaign such as: radio, bus, train, outdoor and television marketing. Continuous efforts will be applied to applications of grant funding opportunities.
Another network objective for FY 2006 is to identify and expand and recruit new network partners and engaging them in future projects such as:
- The successful collaborations have taken place with the NJ Office of Faith Based Initiatives this year. These results included a statewide FNS Network Conference entitled “Serving You Food for the Soul.” The conference was well attended and well received. A second conference will be planned for FY ’06 accommodating the need for the high level of interest which was generated from the initial conference. Ongoing efforts will be conducted on a continual basis to recruit and train church advocated to carry both FSNEP nutrition and social marketing messages.
- Continued coordination of NJ’s SNAP (Statewide Nutrition Action Plan). The NJ Network has played a lead role in coordinating and spearheading the NSAP initiative for the state with New Jersey being named the Mid-Atlantic’s lead state for this initiative. The Faith Based Conference demonstrated the interagency collaboration of all FNS programs in New Jersey providing education on nutrition assistance resources to the faith-based constituents. This responsibility includes but is not limited to keeping the USDA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office apprised of all SNAP activated in the state.
- The Network continues to work with diversified organizations to encourage them to collaborate to achieve common goals. An example of this is the collaboration of the Network, the Middlesex County FSNEP Project and the Central New Jersey Maternal Child Health Care Consortium. Last year the first Abbott Preschool Mini-Olympics was planned through co-sponsor ship from the Network. Many Network resources supported this event including the NJ Food Bank, and the retail food chains. Due to the success of this first event a second Mini-Olympics is planned for FY ’06.
- A steering committee has been formed to strategize ways to unite efforts for overall statewide promotions with the objective of having each individual group embrace this FNS strategy and incorporate it into special interest areas such as: increased fruit and vegetable consumption, increased calcium consumption and healthier food choices within the school environment through Team Nutrition in an effort to combat nutrition related diseases.
- Continued collaboration with the Team Nutrition Grant and the NJ Action for Healthy Kids engaging the RCRE county offices in these events to provide nutrition education workshops with parents and children in an effort to train parent liaisons as spokespeople for child health issues.
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