Abstract
Objective
To assess the readiness of health clinics to implement nutrition support strategies
in partnership with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) program.
Design
Qualitative study using semistructured interviews.
Setting
South Carolina.
Participants
A convenience sample of key informants (n = 26) from health clinics (n = 15) interested
in partnering with the SNAP-Ed program.
Phenomenon of Interest
Health clinic readiness to implement nutrition supports, including motivation, current
capacities, and capacity-building needs.
Analysis
Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed
descriptively and thematically.
Results
Clinics were most interested in implementing food insecurity screenings and making
referrals to resources for accessing nutritious foods and produce prescription programs.
Motivation was largely driven by a commitment to prevent chronic disease and on the
basis of past success implementing a healthy eating strategy. A wide range of current
capacities and capacity-building needs to implement strategies of interest were identified.
Conclusions and Implications
Findings suggest the readiness of some clinics to partner with SNAP-Ed to implement
nutrition support strategies and identifies early insights on areas practitioners
might need to engage clinics in for capacity-building. Some implementers might need
further training before having their own capacity to support clinics in the wide range
of nutrition support strategies included, which could be explored in future studies.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 21, 2021
Accepted:
March 20,
2021
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
