TY - JOUR
T1 - A Thematic Analysis on the Implementation of Nutrition Policies at Food Pantries Using the RE-AIM Framework
AU - Helmick, Meagan
AU - Yaroch, Amy L.
AU - Estabrooks, Paul A.
AU - Parks, Courtney
AU - Hill, Jennie L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Food pantries are responsible for the direct distribution of food to low-income households. While food pantries may be concerned about the nutritional quality of the food they are serving, they may have limited resources to adopt and implement nutrition policies to support efforts to promote high nutritional quality of the food served. Guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness or Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, this qualitative study explored the degree of implementation of nutrition policies at food pantries, as well as the barriers to implementation in those pantries that had not adopted a nutrition policy. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 food pantry directors: seven pantries with a formal nutrition policy and three with an informal nutrition policy. Using a thematic analysis method, results demonstrated themes from the interviews with policy-adopting pantries to be barriers, enforcement, delivery of the policy, unexpected consequences, and fidelity to the policy. A targeted intervention that builds on this research and focuses on building the capacity of food pantries to develop, adopt, and implement nutrition policies as well as helping to increase fidelity to the policy would be beneficial to continue to improve the food donated and distributed at food pantries. By supporting food pantries in the development, adoption, and implementation of nutrition policies, researchers can play an important role in improving the quality of food in the emergency food network. food pantries implementation nutrition policy RE-AIM thematic analysis Eisele Family Foundation Pre-doctoral fellowship edited-state corrected-proof typesetter ts1
Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the food pantry directors that participated in the interviews. We would also like to think Dr. Hilary Seligman for her thoughtful contribution to the study and current research within the field. Funding for this study was provided by a predoctoral fellowship from the Eisele Family Foundation at the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Food pantries are responsible for the direct distribution of food to low-income households. While food pantries may be concerned about the nutritional quality of the food they are serving, they may have limited resources to adopt and implement nutrition policies to support efforts to promote high nutritional quality of the food served. Guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness or Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, this qualitative study explored the degree of implementation of nutrition policies at food pantries, as well as the barriers to implementation in those pantries that had not adopted a nutrition policy. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 food pantry directors: seven pantries with a formal nutrition policy and three with an informal nutrition policy. Using a thematic analysis method, results demonstrated themes from the interviews with policy-adopting pantries to be barriers, enforcement, delivery of the policy, unexpected consequences, and fidelity to the policy. A targeted intervention that builds on this research and focuses on building the capacity of food pantries to develop, adopt, and implement nutrition policies as well as helping to increase fidelity to the policy would be beneficial to continue to improve the food donated and distributed at food pantries. By supporting food pantries in the development, adoption, and implementation of nutrition policies, researchers can play an important role in improving the quality of food in the emergency food network.
AB - Food pantries are responsible for the direct distribution of food to low-income households. While food pantries may be concerned about the nutritional quality of the food they are serving, they may have limited resources to adopt and implement nutrition policies to support efforts to promote high nutritional quality of the food served. Guided by the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness or Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, this qualitative study explored the degree of implementation of nutrition policies at food pantries, as well as the barriers to implementation in those pantries that had not adopted a nutrition policy. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 food pantry directors: seven pantries with a formal nutrition policy and three with an informal nutrition policy. Using a thematic analysis method, results demonstrated themes from the interviews with policy-adopting pantries to be barriers, enforcement, delivery of the policy, unexpected consequences, and fidelity to the policy. A targeted intervention that builds on this research and focuses on building the capacity of food pantries to develop, adopt, and implement nutrition policies as well as helping to increase fidelity to the policy would be beneficial to continue to improve the food donated and distributed at food pantries. By supporting food pantries in the development, adoption, and implementation of nutrition policies, researchers can play an important role in improving the quality of food in the emergency food network.
KW - RE-AIM
KW - food pantries
KW - implementation
KW - nutrition policy
KW - thematic analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088589268&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85088589268&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1524839920945250
DO - 10.1177/1524839920945250
M3 - Article
C2 - 32715756
AN - SCOPUS:85088589268
JO - Health Promotion Practice
JF - Health Promotion Practice
SN - 1524-8399
ER -