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Inclusion Criteria for the SNAP-Ed Library

Section 1: All Materials

All Materials Included in the SNAP-Ed Library must meet the following:

  1. Materials fall within the scope of the SNAP-Ed Guiding Principles. [Note 1]
  2. Information, including recipes, is accurate and consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and/or the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. [Note 2]
  3. Materials are substantial in nature. [Note 3]
  4. Materials are easily accessible with few, if any, broken links and minimal outdated information. [Note 4]
  5. Subject matter is presented objectively and fairly without brand name promotion or obvious author/sponsor bias.

Section 2: Materials NOT Funded by SNAP-Ed

Educational Materials NOT Funded by SNAP-Ed must meet all criteria for Section 1 and also include at least 1 of the following Value-Added Areas to be considered for inclusion:

  1. Evidence Base and Evaluation [Note 5]
  2. Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches (PSE) [Note 6]
  3. Social Marketing [Note 7]
  4. Focus Areas [Note 8]

NOTES

1. SNAP-Ed Guiding Principles

  • It is intended to serve SNAP participants and low-income individuals eligible to receive SNAP benefits or other means-tested Federal assistance programs or staff that work with those audiences.
  • It includes nutrition education and obesity prevention educational strategies and environmental supports designed to facilitate voluntary adoption of food and physical activity choices and other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to the health and well-being of SNAP participants.
  • It targets low-income households with SNAP-Ed eligible women and children.
  • It uses evidence-based, behaviorally focused interventions and maximizes its national impact by concentrating on a small set of key local outcomes and/or environmental or policy interventions.

2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

3. For organizations without SNAP-Ed funding, materials that are NOT substantial include standalone cookbooks, recipe cards, handouts, brochures, stickers/incentives, posters, bulletin board kits, activity books, etc.

4. At the time of submission, Web sites and/or electronic resources associated with the material are easily accessible with few, if any, broken links and minimal outdated information.

5. Evidence Base and Evaluation - specific information on one or more of the following is provided:

  • Pilot study
  • Process evaluation
  • Formative evaluation
  • Impact evaluation
  • Peer-reviewed literature citations or research reports
  • Evaluation tools
  • Evaluation methods (RCT, quasi-experimental, surveys, case study, direct observation, focus group, data mining, pilot tests, or field studies)

6. Policy, Systems and Environmental Change (PSE): specific information about PSE approaches used in the curriculum/intervention is provided. May include areas such as:

  • Multi-level interventions
  • Institutional/local government policy
  • Neighborhood design
  • Food access
  • School nutrition environment
  • School wellness
  • Food retail initiatives
  • Farmers markets
  • WIC coordination
  • Food/nutrition policy councils or advisory panels
  • Surveillance and survey data
  • Healthcare coordination

7. Specific information is provided about social marketing methods used in the curriculum/intervention.

8. Focus Areas: the materials target one or more focus areas for the SNAP-Ed Library:

  • Older adults
  • Homeless population
  • African American ethnicity
  • Hispanic ethnicity
  • Teens
  • Tribal organizations
  • Physical activity
  • Foreign language materials
  • Culturally relevant materials
  • Other