Utilizing Wellness Coalitions to Create Healthy Food,
Healthy Families, & Healthy South Dakota Communities
SDSU Department of Health & Nutritional Sciences
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I M PA C T S TAT E M E N T
Public Value
Optimizing funding provided by the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC), this initiative promotes community-level
decision-making and engagement activities towards healthy
nutrition and physical activity behaviors, primarily in American
Indian communities. The project creates sustainable community
Wellness Coalitions that implement research-based physical
activity and nutrition interventions and outreach activities.
The Issue
Six counties in SD have an adult population that is over 40%
obese. Chronic disease rates are higher on the nine SD American
Indian reservations. Two counties that house an American Indian
reservation rank in the top 10% of poorest counties in the nation.
While only 10% of the state’s population is American Indian, they
make-up 46% of the SNAP recipients. SD had the lowest rate
of fruit and vegetable consumption in the nation in 2012. The
majority of SD counties are considered medically underserved
areas. Youth and adults in SD are largely not meeting the 2008
Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Healthy eating and
active living can maintain healthy weight, and reduce the risk of
the associated comorbidities.
What We’ve Done
Twelve community Wellness Coalitions were created in 2015,
Year One for the project. Community Champions were selected
and engaged in each community. The next step was to identify
potential coalition members; at present several of the coalitions
have an active participant base, while others continue to identify
members.
Needs assessments conducted in each community focused,
on nutritional and physical activity environments. The first
assessment was the Healthy Eating Active Living: Mapping
Attributes using Participatory Photographic Surveys (HEAL
MAPPS™). HEAL MAPPS™ utilized evidence-based assessment
tools to audit and map community environmental features that
support and/or hinder healthful eating and physical activity. Photo
maps were completed and analyzed by the HEAL MAPPS™
team at Oregon State University. Community focus groups then
identified key photos that reflected the community’s food and
physical activity environments. Subsequently, each coalition held
a facilitated Community Conversation using the photo features to
Impact
Rural South Dakota communities will benefit
from having a wellness coalition advocating
for improving a community environment that
promotes healthy eating and active living.
Communities with healthier environments makes
the healthy choice, the easy choice.
| healthy families
analyze their resources and readiness to implement strategies towards improving healthy behaviors related to nutrition and
physical activity. The structured questions included a community readiness assessment, and provoked narrative responses
that will be analyzed for themes, using qualitative measures.
Following the Community Conversation, each Wellness Coalition received a community report with background information,
demographics and relevant data regarding community health factors, as well as current public health efforts addressing
nutrition and physical activity behaviors in SD. The reports also included recommendations for community change focused
on physical activity and healthy eating. These reports will be utilized by the Wellness Coalitions in 2016 to guide their work
over the next several years.
The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) was utilized to measure the food sources available to people in each
community. The NEMS survey was conducted in grocery and convenience stores. The availability of traditional native foods
was also assessed. Following analysis of the surveys, data will be compiled for the entire project and individualized by
county. A new county-level infographic will be another resource for the Wellness Coalitions.
The Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) measures the activity-friendliness of rural communities. The assessment
has three components: town-wide, program and policy, and street segment. Coalition members completed the RALA
assessments. The Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS) measures perceptions of rural
environments in the context of physical activity across the lifespan; this was administered at each Community Conversation.
Utilizing these data, Wellness Coalition members will set clear, concise, and community-based vision and goals in Year 2,
and select and implement interventions and activities such as improving access to fruits and vegetables, consuming healthy
food and beverages, and providing access to physical activity opportunities.
Funding Statements:
This project is supported by Grant Number 1U58DP005477, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding support provided by the SD Department of Social Services, Office of Economic Assistance as part of the USDA's
Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed).
For more information contact: Tara Shafrath, Health & Physical Activity Field Specialist | [email protected]
South Dakota State University, South Dakota counties, and USDA cooperating. South Dakota State University adheres to AA/EEO guidelines in
offering educational programs and services.
Publication: 04-3003-2016