Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
Children's Memorial Hospital
CLOCC is a seven-year old nationally recognized childhood obesity prevention program housed within the Center for Obesity Management and Prevention (COMP) at the Children's Memorial Research Hospital. It is a data-driven effort that brings together more than 800 organizations, with a common goal of protecting Chicago children from the obesity epidemic. S&A will be using a multi-method approach to evaluate CLOCC's effectiveness as a collaborative and impact on community based environmental and policy change strategies.
Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP)
Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS)
S&A is working with the Olmsted County Public Health Services (OCPHS) to evaluate the impact of their SHIP grant. Eight of their twelve interventions focus on diminishing the county’s chronic disease burden through increasing physical activity and access to healthy foods. The interventions utilize policy, systems and environmental changes in four settings in Olmsted: schools, work sites, health care and community. S&A is using a number of evaluation methods across sectors and organizations to examine key aspects of the process as well as outcomes. The evaluation employs a multi-method, participatory design to describe the current environments, assess changes made to and within these settings, discuss challenges encountered and successes achieved, and summarize lessons learned and best practices that emerge from OCPHS’s work. This approach will help describe the nature of the problem of obesity in Olmsted and provide data to define obesity prevention as a place-based issue in Minnesota.
Evaluation of the Smart Menu/Salud Tiene Sabor Menu Labeling Campaign in South Los Angeles, Salud America!
The California Endowment
Samuels & Associates, in partnership with Public Health Institute, Healthy Eating Active Communities and Esperanza Community Housing is evaluating the impact of Smart Menu/La Salud Tiene Sabor menu labeling program. La Salud Tiene Sabor was adopted by Mercado la Paloma, a group of seven independently-owned restaurants, to empower South Los Angeles residents to make healthy food choices via access to healthy menu items and nutrition information. The Smart Menu evaluation is a collaboration of restaurant owners, research and community-based organizations and the LA County Public Health Dept. The study is assessing the effect of menu labeling and nutrition information on families’ purchase intention and meal choices, and on restaurant vendor practices and sales. Evaluation methodologies include patron awareness assessments, environmental assessments, stakeholder surveys, sales tracking analysis, secondary data analyses, and media analysis.
Eat Well Berkeley Neighbor Store Project
City of Berkeley
The City of Berkeley Health and Human Services Department is working to improve access to healthier foods through the Eat Well Berkeley Neighbor Store Project. Evaluation of this project includes assessments of the type of snack foods and beverages sold at small stores located near schools, intercept surveys with youth patronizing the stores to assess frequency of store visits and purchasing behavior, self-administered student surveys to examine student perceptions and attitudes around food sold in neighborhood stores, and a store owner survey.
Continuation of the Study of the Commodities Food Program in Schools
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This project is the continuation of an earlier study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in conjunction with California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA) to look at the ways that the commodities food program can help to make school meals healthier. Under this continuation of the original study, Samuels & Associates is assisting CFPA in translating the original findings into technical assistance materials for school districts in order to support decision makers in making healthier choices for school meals; assisting school districts and advocates to monitor and track the impact of commodities on school meal programs for the purpose of advocating for improvements; developing standards by which commodities processing may be governed and further dissemination of the study findings.
The Impact of a New Full Service Grocery Store on Two Low-Income Communities of Color
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment
Samuels & Associates, in partnership with PolicyLink, Field Research Corporation, UC Berkeley’s Center for Weight and Health, The Southeast Food Access Working Group (SEFA), and Community Health Councils (CHC) was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment to examine the impact of a new full-service grocery store in low-income multi-ethnic neighborhoods in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The study includes measures of healthy food availability, food purchasing and eating practices of neighborhood residents, and community perceptions and attitudes towards the new supermarket.
Healthy Eating Active Communities (HEAC) Initiative
The California Endowment
Samuels & Associates was involved in designing this $26.2 million initiative of The California Endowment focusing on reducing disparities in obesity and diabetes by improving food and physical activity environments for school-age children. The initiative concentrates on five sectors: schools, after-school, neighborhoods, health care, and marketing and advertising. Samuels & Associates serves as the lead evaluator, in collaboration with UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health and UCLA School of Public Health, in a participatory, multi-level evaluation within and across the five sectors of HEAC, measuring changes in the food and physical activity environments in each sector in the Endowment's six healthy eating and physical activity collaboratives located throughout California.
Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP), Evaluation The California Endowment The Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) is an initiative funded by The California Endowment that focuses on improving the social and physical environments for healthy nutrition and physical activity in the San Joaquin Valley. Six health departments and their community partners are collaborating to change these environments through advocacy, policy, and systems change efforts. Samuels & Associates is conducting the evaluation of the program, including development of a regional logic model, environmental assessments, stakeholder surveys, policy tracking and a variety of other evaluation methods.
Evaluation of Padres FriarFit Initiative The California Endowment Samuels & Associates, in collaboration with AACORN, has received funding from The California Endowment to evaluate a multi-year healthy food and fitness initiative called San Diego Padres FriarFit. FriarFit is focused on offering healthier foods and beverages and increasing opportunities for physical activity at the ballpark in San Diego. FriarFit also works with local schools to increase physical activity among students in San Diego county. As part of the evaluation, Samuels & Associates is conducting food, beverage and physical activity environmental assessments and stakeholder interviews with ballpark administrators and other key individuals involved in the initiative. Results will be reported in case studies highlighting successes, lessons learned and ways the initiative can be replicated by other sports teams.
Healthy Foods and Beverages in Child Care Settings Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Healthy Eating Research Program Samuels & Associates, in partnership with California Food Policy Advocates and UC Berkeley’s Center for Weight and Health, was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a study of the foods and beverages offered to children ages 3-5 years in child care settings (licensed family day care homes and centers) in California. UC Berkeley, Samuels & Associates and CFPA conducted a self-administered statewide survey of childcare providers regarding the foods and beverages offered to young children in their care, conducted stakeholder interviews of key state and federal administrators, advocates, sponsors and policymakers, and convened experts to help develop policy recommendations to improve the foods and beverages offered in child care settings.
Food and Beverage Environment Analysis and Monitoring System (Food BEAMS)
National Insitutes of Health (NIH)
The Food and Beverage Environment Analysis and Monitoring System (Food BEAMS) is a web-based tool developed by Samuels & Associates primarily used to aid public health professionals and school administrators in monitoring implementation of school nutrition policies for competitive foods and beverages sold on campus. Food BEAMS uses an observational data collection methodology to accurately catalogue competitive foods and beverages sold on school campuses, link to a nutrient database of competitive foods and beverages, and assess their adherence to food and beverage standards.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
Community Advocacy Initiative, Evaluation Health Funders Partnership; Prevention Institute The Health Funders Partnership, a consortium of funders, funded five grantees in Orange County, CA to develop and implement policy approaches to prevent and reduce the risk for obesity and improve nutrition and physical activity environments. Samuels & Associates conducted the evaluation and provided technical assistance in evaluation to the grantees. As part of the same initiative, S&A also collaborated with the Prevention Institute (Oakland, CA) to provide technical assistance to the grantees on developing and carrying out their environmental change strategies.
Senior Nutrition Evaluation Council on Aging, Silicon Valley Samuels & Associates conducted a multi-method evaluation of senior nutrition programs in Santa Clara County, California. The evaluation was funded by the Council on Aging, Silicon Valley, in partnership with The Health Trust and assessed the extent to which the Congregate Meal Program and Home Delivered Meal Program are meeting the needs of seniors. The evaluation employed a variety of methodologies including stakeholder and provider interviews, participant focus groups, analysis of secondary data sources, and a literature review and cost analysis to document the successes and challenges experienced by the programs, and opportunities, strategies and barriers for improving senior nutrition.
Fit for Learning Program Evaluation
Santa Clara County Office of Education
Samuels & Associates is conducting an evaluation of the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Fit for Learning Initiative, a countywide effort to create school environments that promote healthy eating and physical activity for the children of Santa Clara County. The program is provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in cooperation with Healthy Silicon Valley and The Health Trust.
School Health Leadership Institute Starting in 2003, a number of school health leadership institutes were conducted across California to educate and engage school districts around implementing coordinated school health within their districts. In order to evaluate the impact of the school health leadership institutes, Samuels & Associates conducted a stakeholder survey of a sample of institute participants. This survey was designed to assess participants’ perceptions of the usefulness of the institutes and how they have applied the knowledge gained through their participation in the Institute.
Physical Activity Assessment The California Endowment Samuels & Associates collaborated with the UCLA School of Public Health on a study funded by The California Endowment on disparities in school physical activity and physical education. The study compared physical education and physical activity opportunities in schools that report high scores on the California student FITNESSGRAM compared to school districts that report low student FITNESSGRAM scores.
Agricultural Workers Health Initiative Policy Evaluation The California Endowment Samuels & Associates, in partnership with Abundantia Consulting, evaluated policy strategies adopted by community grantees funded by The California Endowment to do demonstration projects under its Agricultural Workers Health Initiative. The Initiative’s goals are to achieve optimal health for agricultural workers, their families and their communities.
Student Self-Efficacy Assessment Sports4Kids Samuels & Associates conducted an evaluation of the impact of the Sports4Kids play-based school and after-school programs on youth. S&A trained Sports4Kids instructors to administer a survey assessing students’ perceptions of the program and comfort initiating play before and after exposure to the Sports4Kids program in 12 San Jose schools. Sports4Kids works to increase opportunities for safe, meaningful play, particularly in low-income communities.
Implementation of SB 12 & SB 965 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Samuels & Associates, in partnership with UC Berkeley, Center for Weight and Health and California Project LEAN, conducted a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of the implementation in state schools of two laws passed in the 2005 California legislature that set nutrition standards in state schools: SB12, which sets nutritional standards that limit the calories and sugar content kids consume, and SB965, which extends an existing ban on selling carbonated drinks to high schools.
Commodities in the Schools Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Samuels & Associates, in partnership with California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA) was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a study of how commodities have shaped the healthfulness of what is served for breakfast and lunch in the National School Meal Program. Samuels & Associates and CFPA conducted quantitative analyses of the foods available to and ordered by schools, held focus groups to understand the influence of commodities on lunches from the Food Services perspective, and convened experts to help develop policy recommendations to improve the role of commodities in school meals.
National Meeting on School Nutrition/Physical Activity Policy Evaluation & Measurement Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment In 2004 Samuels & Associates convened a meeting on evaluating school nutrition and physical activity policies for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California Endowment to inform the field about the best methods for evaluating changes in school food and physical activity environments. The final report contains a framework and recommendations for evaluating school nutrition and physical activity policies.
Implementation of State Nutrition Standards Under SB 19: A Randomized Study National Institutes of Health, The California Endowment The California State Legislature’s Pupil Nutrition, Health, and Achievement Act of 2001, SB-19, passed in 2003, set minimum nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold on elementary and middle school campuses. Samuels & Associates, in conjunction with WestEd, UCLA and the UC Berkeley Center on Weight and Health, conducted a process evaluation of the implementation of SB 19 nutrition standards in 28 elementary and middle school sites in California in 2004 in tandem with a randomized, controlled outcome evaluation trial undertaken by WestEd and UCLA. The NIH-funded evaluation measured body composition (BMI), aerobic capacity, blood pressure, and selected diet, physical activity and weight control behaviors. The California Endowment also funded pieces of the process evaluation, including student surveys, stakeholder surveys and policy tracking. The evaluations aimed to test and measure the impact on students and schools of efforts to change California's school nutrition environment before the changes were made statewide.
The Impact of Removing Sweetened Beverages from High School Campuses: A Randomized Study National Institutes of Health, The California Endowment In partnership with UC Berkeley Center on Weight and Health, the NIH, and the California Endowment, Samuels & Associates assessed the impact of a three-year intervention pilot program removing sweetened beverages from two high school campuses in California. In addition, S&A and UC Berkeley Center on Weight and Health conducted cases studies of school districts that had adopted policies eliminating sweetened beverages from their campuses. These research activities described the effect of removing sweetened beverages from school campuses on total daily consumption of sweetened beverages, on body mass index (BMI) and percent body fat, and on changes in obesity. They also assessed the attitudes of those affected, described institutional barriers to and the economic impact of removing the beverages, and portrayed the impact of the intervention on school meal participation rates and a la carte food sales.
Diabetes’ Data to Action Project Evaluation Alameda County Public Health Department Samuels & Associates, in conjunction with Gardiner & Associates, evaluated the Alameda County Public Health Department's Data to Action Project. High rates of diabetes in Alameda County led County health officers to undertake the "Data to Action" program to generate data that could activate communities to address diabetes-related health disparities. The evaluation assessed the four components of the diabetes program: data collection, community involvement, diabetes case management, and redefining the health department's framework for addressing health disparities.
Fast Food Sales in Public High Schools (2000) and Marketing and Advertising in Public High Schools (2006) The California Endowment In 2001 Samuels & Associates, along with California Project LEAN, developed and conducted a survey to categorize the nutritional value of fast foods sold in public high schools across California. The results of this survey helped to inform statewide legislation, passed in 2005, that set standards for all foods and beverages commonly sold on school campuses. [link to survey] In 2006, Samuels & Associates and Project LEAN, with underwriting from the California Endowment, conducted a survey that assessed the prevalence of unhealthy food and beverage marketing on 20 high school campuses in 13 counties across California. Food and Beverage Marketing on California High School Campuses was published in 2006.
Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Projects Evaluation The California Endowment Samuels & Associates worked with San Francisco State University and Aguirre International on a 30-month evaluation of eight diabetes prevention demonstration projects funded by the California Endowment in 11 counties. The goal of these eight projects was to reduce health disparities in African-American, Latino, Native-American, Filipino and Vietnamese communities through diabetes education, treatment, and disease management strategies. Guided by a multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic Advisory Committee, the evaluation documented what occurred on the community, institutional, and policy levels as a result of program efforts and consisted of site visits and environmental scans of the local context; ethno-specific research with program beneficiaries and community members that produced case studies of what diabetes prevention and disease management looks like from a community and cultural perspective; documentation of implementation challenges, solutions, and lessons learned; comparisons of state and regional quantitative data sets to program-specific outcomes; and information-sharing opportunities for grantees to build program capacity.
Physical Activity Campaign Background Research California Nutrition Network Samuels and Associates was contracted by the California Nutrition Network to conduct a literature review and environmental scan to inform the development of a strategic plan for a physical activity promotion campaign aimed at low-income Food Stamp recipients in California. As a part of this planning process, S&A participated in the statewide Physical Activity and Nutrition Integration Committee (PANIC) with representatives from the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section of the California Department of Health Services, the Prevention Institute, and representatives from physical activity promotion and research groups throughout California.
Fit WIC Evaluation USDA With funding from the USDA, Samuels & Associates evaluated the Fit WIC California Project, a partnership between the California WIC Program and the University of California, Berkeley Center on Weight and Health to incorporate obesity prevention counseling and support into the WIC Program. The Fit WIC Project worked in three pilot locations in California to develop site-specific, community-driven interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity in low-income families participating in WIC. S&A surveyed stakeholders and WIC program directors, tracked program activity at the three WIC locations, and elicited feedback from focus groups with participants at seven local WIC agencies throughout California. This research identified both the barriers and successful community-based strategies for preventing obesity in children under five in low-income and multi-ethnic communities throughout California.
Lessons Learned from Evaluations of Nutrition and Physical Activity Social Marketing Campaigns UC Davis, Center for the Advanced Study of Nutrition and Social Marketing In 2000, the University of California, Davis Center for the Advanced Study of Nutrition and Social Marketing commissioned S&A to review the evaluation and social marketing literature pertaining to nutrition and physical activity social marketing campaigns. The resulting paper, Evaluating Nutrition and Physical Activity Social Marketing Campaigns: A Review of the Literature for Use in Community Campaigns, conveys an understanding of evaluation failures, challenges and successful strategies to overcome these challenges. S&A also serves on the Steering Committee for the UC Davis Center.
Cervical Cancer Prevention and Education Initiative The California Endowment, Los Angeles County Office of Women’s Health, Los Angeles Women’s Foundation Samuels and Associates was commissioned to evaluate the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Education Initiative, a comprehensive, multi-faceted outreach and education campaign to increase awareness among high-risk, low-income, underserved women of color about the importance of Pap tests in the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer and to increase the number of screenings and treatment services provided to them.
Evaluation of UC Berkeley’s Public Health Doctorate Program UC Berkeley, School of Public Health In 2005, Samuels and Associates was contracted to assess how successfully the UC Berkeley DrPH Program achieved its stated goals and the goals of the School of Public Health, satisfied the goals of students, and contributed to the capacity and diversity of public health leaders entering the field of public health.
