Coordinated by Kansas State Research and Extension, Kansas SNAP-Ed’s nutrition education centers around the following four SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework indicators: MyPlate Behavioral Change (indicator MT1), Food Resource Management (indicator MT2), Physical Activity and Reduced Sedentary Behaviors (indicator MT3), and Food Safety (indicator MT4).
The state uses the Program Evaluation and Reporting System (PEARS) to gather evaluation data. Using PEARS, Kansas SNAP-Ed professionals can select or build evaluation instruments specific to the needs of each program they deliver, enter program information and response data, and access various reporting features. Moving forward, the system will also track the assessment of policy, system, and environmental change (PSE) efforts.
Details about PSE progress, implementation, and impact at both the individual and environmental levels are useful for reporting to internal and external stakeholders. Using PEARS has allowed Kansas to have consistent data tied to program objectives. As a result, Kansas is in a position to more effectively measure and report program impact and is now partnering with neighboring states to make PEARS available as a region-wide data tracking system for the Mountain Plains Region.