Direct Education

Direct Education (DE) is nutrition and physical activity education that takes place in one-on-one or group settings. To be most effective, DE should be provided in conjunction with AZ Health Zone Policy, Systems, and Environmental strategies. In general, AZ Health Zone-approved curricula are used to deliver DE, although food demonstrations, tastings, and a variety of supplemental resources are also used to enhance behaviorally-focused lessons and engage participants.

Evaluation of Direct Education

Direct Education for AZ Health Zone is evaluated for two subgroups: Youth (where we assess multi-level interventions that combine PSEs and DE), and Adults. 

SEEDS. Every year, LIAs report all support provided to partners using the SNAP-Ed Electronic Data System (SEEDS). This helps us to understand what supports are provided.

SARN. Every year LIAs complete the Semi-Annual Report Narrative (SARN), describing their work in words and images. This helps us to understand how and why supports work or encounter challenges. 

ATT Nourishing Families Survey. For the Around the Table - Nourishing Families Survey, LIAs work with sites to conduct a complete series of six ATT workshops with adults, and ask workshop participants to complete the survey before and after the curriculum. This survey is available for adults to complete in any year.  

Trauma-Informed Approaches

The adoption of trauma-aware principles at each level of the AZ Health Zone program supports interventions that are meeting individuals and families where they are at, and avoiding harm. These approaches align with the AZ Health Zone’s Guiding Principles, and are based on the CDC’s Trauma Informed Care Principles.

Evaluation of Trauma-Informed Approaches

Trauma-informed approaches are evaluated using mixed-methods.

1. Surveys with AZ Health Zone staff to understand the uptake of these approaches at the individual and organizational levels.
2. Evaluation with participants to explore their experiences with the Around the Table curriculum.
3. Interviews with AZ Health Zone educators and managers to explore their experiences with trauma informed training and implementation.
4. The Semi-Annual Report Narrative (SARN) allows local agencies to describe their work in words and images. This provides context to understand why trauma-informed approaches are developing in certain ways.

Community Engagement

Enhanced engagement in communities with limited resources supports greater integration of programming and sustainability that meets their needs, strengths, and desires. This principle is supported by considering the AZ Health Zone’s work through the lens of the Spectrum of Public Participation and by focusing on the consult, involve and collaborate levels.

Evaluation of Community Engagement

Community Engagement has been greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic in our AZ Health Zone communities. We seek to evaluate the community engagement that is possible virtually and in person using the following methods:

1. An online data collection system called SEEDS collects information on what SNAP-Ed programming is being done that is community-engaged.
2. The Semi-Annual Report Narrative (SARN) allows local agencies to describe their work in community engagement in words and images. This provides context to understand why things are developing in certain ways.

 If you are looking for evaluation training Powerpoints or Quizzes, proceed to the Trainings page.

Spectrum of Public Participation Image Source: https://www.iap2canada.ca/foundations