Research & Practice
Cultural Adaptations for Washington SNAP-Ed Curriculum
About 40% of Washington SNAP-Ed participants identify as a race and/or ethnicity other than non-Hispanic White. Since WA SNAP-Ed funding comes from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services (USDA, FNS) educational curriculum must fall in line with recommendations set forth by The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). One recommendation in the updated 2020-2025 DGA’s is that dietary patterns align with both personal and cultural preferences.
All approved SNAP-Ed curriculum used by WA providers are based around predominantly western dietary patterns. In order to increase cultural relevance of the WA SNAP-Ed curriculum, it is vital to provide educational providers with information on various cultural dietary practices and accompanying resources so they are able to adapt educational materials to the diverse SNAP-Ed participant populations here in WA state.
After reviewing resources available to SNAP-Ed providers, it was identified that diverse cultural recipes categorized by cuisine type, cultural resources (including dietary patterns and educational materials in multiple languages), and training around adapting DGA’s could help integrate more culturally relevant topics within SNAP-Ed sessions. With this in mind, recipes on Live Well (participant website) were updated, a cultural resources page developed for educational providers, and a Friday Forum focused on cultural adaptations was performed to educate providers on different cultural dietary practices.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Anna Fogel
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2022
Adviser(s):