Multi-Year Evaluation of Maine State Nutrition Action Council (SNAC) Membership Participation and Engagement

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service encourages states to convene SNACs to improve program coordination on nutrition, obesity, and food security prevention efforts. The Maine SNAC is comprised of statewide partners from various sectors that meet quarterly and partake in defined initiatives. Altarum serves as external evaluator of the SNAC through a contract with Maine OFI. To assess multi-sector partnerships established through the Maine SNAC. SNAC members were invited to complete a web-based survey in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. Surveys were designed to address indicators from the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework and Interpretive Guide. Descriptive statistics were produced for all survey data. Qualitative survey data were analyzed for themes. The percentage of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that SNAC activities align with the missions and goals of their organizations trended upward from 2020 (80%) to 2023 (100%). While attendance rates at SNAC meetings declined from 2020 (90%) to 2023 (73%), there was an increase in respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that the level of commitment among members is high from 2021 (44%) to 2023 (67%). Across the years, the majority of respondents agreed that they understand the mission (90% in 2020, 93% in 2023) and goals (80% in 2020 and 2023) of the SNAC. Further, the percentage of respondents agreeing that they have a clear sense of their roles and responsibilities increased from 2020 (55%) to 2023 (67%). Although respondents’ agreement about how well Maine SNAP-Ed communicates with SNAC members increased from 2020 (75%) to 2023 (93%), the percentage agreeing that SNAC members communicate openly with one another decreased from 2021 (94%) to 2023 (80%). Despite decreases in attendance and communication among members in recent years, respondents continue to agree that participation on the SNAC is beneficial to their organizations and aligns with their missions and goals. Findings suggest opportunities to offer alternative collaboration strategies to further increase participation and engagement among SNAC members. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education