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Partnership with
Share Our Strength

In partnership with Share Our Strength, we conduct research and evaluation to support initiatives that help children and families get the nutrition they need to be their healthiest.

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Collaboration with Share Our Strength

 
 

About Share Our Strength

With a mission to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and abroad, Share Our Strength operates federal campaigns, including No Kid Hungry, to end childhood hunger in the United States.

Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies Generated by Participants to Support Family Food Security in Rural Communities

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT'S ROLE:

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) collaborated with Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry to create evidence-based strategies co-developed with rural communities at risk of food insecurity to prioritize impactful solutions for economic mobility, healthcare, and access to healthy food.

 

Prioritized List of Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies for Families in Rural Places:

Background and Analysis

 

Rural communities in the U.S. experience high rates of food insecurity which is due to a myriad of factors, including lower economic mobility, limited healthcare services, fewer housing and employment opportunities, and reduced access to affordable healthy food at grocery stores.

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) and Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry (SOS NKH) worked with practitioners and families in rural communities to co-develop a prioritized list of policy, systems, and environmental strategies (PSE) to support family’s food security in rural communities. Explore our list in the righthand column.

For questions or more information, please contact Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks, PhD RDN at cbshanks@centerfornutrition.org

 
 

Food as Medicine for Pregnant People

A landscape analysis to inform future work

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT'S ROLE:

The goal of the collaboration between Share Our Strength and the Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) is to document the evolving landscape of Food as Medicine (FAM) programs for pregnant people. The Center identified future directions of FAM programming for pregnant people in the form of six directions.

 
 
 
 
 

Background and Analysis

One population at risk of adverse health outcomes due to food insecurity is pregnant people. Many risk factors related to food insecurity during pregnancy can impact maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Food as Medicine (FAM) interventions have emerged as a solution to improve food security. These interventions include:

1.) Medically tailored meals
2.) Medically tailored groceries
3.) Produce prescriptions.

While researchers continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions, FAM initiatives prioritizing pregnant people have largely gone unstudied. 

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign with a landscape analysis of FAM interventions to document the evolving landscape of FAM programs for pregnant people and identify six future directions detailed below.

Overall Findings

Program Reached Multiple Populations
Programs reached diverse populations of pregnant people; however, engaging individuals experiencing health disparities in program design is needed.

Program Effectiveness Measures Varied
FAM programs for pregnant people used varied measures and metrics to gauge effectiveness.

Multiple Factors Led to Program Adoption
External and internal influences led to the adoption of FAM programs for pregnant people.

Program Components Varied Widely
Free or reduced cost food, support services, and community partnerships varied across FAM programs for pregnant people.

Key Factors Could Lead to Sustainable Programs
Building evidence and partnerships may lead to policy changes and sustained funding.

 
 
 

Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in United States Nutrition Programs:
A Scoping Review

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT’S ROLE:

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) collaborated with Share Our Strength to conduct a scoping review on strategies implemented within U.S. nutrition programs that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion and explore how they addressed intersectional stigma. A total of 46 sources were included and summarized by eight categories. View the full report for key policy, practice, research and evaluation recommendations.

 
 

New Family Assistance Project (NEWFAM):
Exploring the Impact of Montana’s Food Assistance Systems on Food Security of New Participants of WIC during COVID-19

CENTER FOR NUTRITION & HEALTH IMPACT’S ROLE:

The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) collaborated with Montana No Kid Hungry, under Share Our Strength, to gain insight into the experiences, barriers, facilitators, and impact of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Children, and Infants (WIC) on newly enrolled WIC participants during COVID-19.

 

Background and Analysis

Federal food assistance programs, including WIC, were vital resources to ensure food security for families during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden onset of COVID-19 led to first-time food assistance program enrollment among many families. The Center for Nutrition & Health Impact (formerly the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition) and Montana No Kid Hungry (under Share Our Strength) surveyed and interviewed newly enrolled WIC participants to identify policy, systems, and environmental strategies that will build responsive food assistance systems for WIC participants during and after public health crises. 

For questions or more information, please contact Principal Research Scientist Carmen Byker Shanks, PhD RDN at cbshanks@centerfornutrition.org