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Ricardo Kairios, Family and Community Health Educator/Assistant Professor, had the honor of presenting research at the 2024 New Jersey Society for Public Health Education (NJSOPHE) Annual Meeting on Friday, December 6. His poster, Exploring SNAP Enrollment Challenges Among Caregivers in New Jersey: Leveraging Schools to Support Outreach, was featured in the conference’s Health Education & Program Implementation track.
The study examines opportunities to support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment among caregivers of school-aged children in New Jersey, with a focus on families participating in the free and reduced-price school meal program. Using a community-based participatory approach, the research team conducted focus groups with caregivers and interviews with school administrators to uncover knowledge gaps, application challenges, and potential solutions.
Additionally, the study highlights the development, implementation, and evaluation of school-based outreach initiatives aimed at increasing SNAP enrollment. The findings offer valuable insights into effective strategies for program evaluation and targeted interventions, emphasizing the importance of community input in addressing food insecurity.
Conference attendees gained an understanding of the key challenges to SNAP enrollment faced by families and explored how schools can play a critical role in outreach efforts to reduce food insecurity in their communities.
This research was funded by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) in collaboration with the Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA). The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NJDA or OFSA.
The SNAP Gap project team extends its gratitude to the focus group participants, interviewees, and survey respondents for their time and honest feedback.