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Program Evaluation Household Food Insecurity: Family and Community Perspectives

Program Evaluation Household Food Insecurity: Family and Community Perspectives. International Food Security at Illinois Symposium February 10, 2015 Barbara H. Fiese, PhD Director, Family Resiliency Center Department of Human and Community Development

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Program Evaluation Household Food Insecurity: Family and Community Perspectives

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  1. Program Evaluation Household Food Insecurity: Family and Community Perspectives International Food Security at Illinois Symposium February 10, 2015 Barbara H. Fiese, PhD Director, Family Resiliency Center Department of Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  2. A Systems Approach to Food and Family Any given meal is embedded in complex systems of • individual characteristics, • family dynamics, • access to food, • regulations, and • cultural traditions Fiese & Jones (2012). Food and Family: A Socio-ecological Perspective for Child Development. Advances in Child Development and Behavior.

  3. Community and Family Centered Approach to Program Evaluation in Food Security • Strength Based Approach To Assessment • What do families and communities need to get better access to food to live a healthy lifestyle? • What are the barriers to access? • What are potential solutions? • How can communities support families to get better access to food and other assets to move from food insecurity to food security? • Mixed-method approach • In depth interviews with key stakeholders • Surveys • GIS Mapping

  4. three Examples • BackPack Evaluation • Decatur Community Evaluation • Summer and At Risk After School Feeding Programs

  5. BackPack Evaluation • In collaboration with Brenda Koester, Craig Gundersen, and the Eastern Illinois Food Bank • Funded by Christopher Family Foundation and Feeding America • Longitudinal Surveys of 300 families across school year • In depth interviews of 60 families • School attendance • Comparison group of children eligible for program but not enrolled due to limited resources

  6. Program impact • Modest but significant effect on school attendance on Fridays • Program is a family program- food used to extend family meals • Findings affected national food bank policies to create food pantries at schools where food is more accessible to families

  7. Food Security Needs In Decatur • Funded by Feeding America and Howard Buffet Foundation • In depth interviews with 28 key stakeholders • Map the Meal Gap Census Track Data and Food Pantry Locations

  8. Stakeholders

  9. Findings and Recommendations • Consensus among stakeholders about increasing need • Consensus about need for central location for shared programming and increasing access to healthy food • Barriers identified – transportation, poor education system, lack of technical jobs in area, and coordinated leadership across community • Recommendations- • coordinated leadership team • central food warehouse closer to food banks in area • increased refrigeration for small pantries • increase SNAP enrollment • conduct community wide needs assessment to address transportation, education and work force issues

  10. Summer and At Risk After School Feeding Program Evaluation Funded Through Walmart Foundation In collaboration with Brenda Koester, Craig Gundersen Hannah Habeeb Project Coordinator

  11. Two Programs- 3 Organizations • Programs • Summer Food Service Program • At Risk After School Program • Organizations • YMCA of USA • National League of Cities • Texas Hunger Initiative

  12. Program Evaluation Framework Program Quality Implementation • Capacity Assessment and Buy-in • Capacity Building and Team Evaluations • Technical Assistance and Supervision • Future planning and needs assessment Tseng & Seidman 2007

  13. Initial Impressions • Programs often initially led by a single champion who then establishes relationships with other partners • Available of resources often tied to personal relationships • Organization of resources is often linked to larger organizational values • Programming elements (e.g., after school academics, summer physical activity) not connected to food per se are essential to success of increasing enrollment in programs

  14. Summary and Conclusions • Program evaluations in food insecurity should be driven by community needs • Mixed method and multi-pronged approach provides a comprehensive and in-depth view of many faces of hunger • Lessons learned in domestic food security can be applied internationally recognizing that domestic issues are not equivalent to international issues

  15. Thank You!

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