Research shows that eating out more frequently is associated with obesity, and that eating more meals at quick-serve restaurants is associated with less fruits, vegetables, and milk consumption, and greater intakes of fat, saturated fat, and added sugars and sodium. As the proportion of calories youth consume away from home continues to rise, strategies to promote healthy food choices become increasingly important. In thinking about how healthy foods might be marketed better, particularly toward youth, a high school student in Bowling Green, Kentucky suggested providing incentives to use a “healthy smart card” toward food purchases as a way to motivate teens to make healthier food choices when eating out. In the spring of 2008, the IOM, through the Kellogg Health of the Public Fund, provided funding for the Smart Bites program to be pilot tested in Bowling Green. Read more about this program and toolkit.
Planning Your Program
The importance of planning cannot be stressed enough. A well thought-out plan extends throughout the lifespan of your project and is the foundation upon which everything builds. At a broader level, it helps you define the purpose of your project and the issue you are addressing. At a practical level, a well-thought out plan helps guide the development process by providing objectives, by setting priorities, and by mapping out tasks and assigning responsibilities. In addition, a good plan helps you to assess your progress. Read more about how to create an effective plan.
Tools:
Menu Analysis
The Smart Bites program analyzed menu items of local restaurants to determine which items are considered “healthy food choices.” The program used guidelines based on the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program and the We Can! Program, which categorizes foods, into three main categories: GO, SLOW, and WHOA. Read more about how to analyze menus.
Materials You May Need
The overall purpose of materials developed for the Smart Bites program is to inform, promote, and incentivize healthy eating away from home and school. Specifically, educational materials inform by identifying healthier food options at area restaurants. Point-of-purchase displays (counter and table top) at restaurants promote those healthy menu options by serving as a cue-to-action. These displays also note the immediate incentives offered for purchasing the healthy food option; the branding tag line/logo remind students to have their card swiped for a chance to win monthly prizes. Read more about the materials needed for this program.
Tools:
Community Buy-In
One of the keys to a successful and sustainable program is having the support of a wide range of stakeholders and community partners. Begin by brainstorming a list of people and organizations that are crucial to your program’s success, that are working on similar issues, or that are vested in the potential impact of your program. Read more about gaining community support.
Tools:
Restaurants
One of the first steps in starting this process is to develop a list of restaurants to recruit. Begin by identifying restaurants that have menu items designated as “go” or “slow” from your menu analysis. Then, prioritize your list based on a) student preferences identified during the planning phases and b) proximity to school and other places where teens are known to gather, such as malls, sports/recreation facilities, etc., as proximity is known to influence use among teens. Read more about how to recruit restaurants to participate in this program.
Tools:
Measuring Participation
There are many options for measuring teen participation in the Smart Bites program. Read more about the several options provided to assist you in making a choice that meets your program’s needs and resources.
Implementing Your Program
Program implementation centers around three basic activities:
- Getting teens to use the program
- Collecting data
- Servicing restaurants
The bulk of this section will address activities that get teens to use the program—from enrolling them through keeping them involved. Issues of data collection will be touched upon briefly, but are covered in greater detail in other sections. Read more about how to implement your program.
Tools:
Evaluating Your Program
The purpose of program evaluation, ultimately, is to determine a program’s value or merit. However, this is not something that occurs solely at the end of the program when comparing what was intended to what actually happened. Instead, evaluation ideally begins from the first moment of planning and occurs throughout the process.
Evaluation, as a process, is the routine and systematic gathering and assessment of information that is used as feedback to improve a program’s operations. It provides program staff and stakeholders with the opportunity to fix problems, capitalize on successes, and generate new ideas. Read more about how to evaluate your program.
Tools: