In 2015, in preparation for a new grant cycle, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) sought a comprehensive, statewide evaluation plan that incorporated both direct education and policy, systems, and environmental change (PSE) approaches.
The external evaluator for Arizona’s SNAP-Ed program, the University of Arizona Evaluation Team, turned to the Western Region Office (WRO) SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework (now the national SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework) as a guide. Because the Social-Ecological Model was foundational to Arizona’s SNAP-Ed program delivery model— and therefore the evaluation of that programming—the framework provided an ideal scaffold for a state-level one.
What has emerged as the Arizona SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework combines Arizona’s 16-strategy programming with the national SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework. Individual-level indicators from the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework assess the state’s direct education strategy; environmental settings indicators measure PSE work that is site-based or with single partners; and sectors of influence indicators evaluate multi-sector partnerships and coalitions.
