FFY18 Needs Assessment
AZ Health Zone, formerly known as the Arizona Nutrition Network, has provided SNAP-Ed services through an interagency agreement with the Department of Economic Security for nearly 20 years. It is the nutrition promotion and obesity-prevention component of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Statewide services are provided through eight local implementing agencies to encourage behavioral changes, including increased fruit and vegetable consumption, regular physical activity, and achieving caloric balance throughout the life cycle. In addition to direct education provided to SNAP and SNAP-eligible participants, the program has expanded to include a focus on policy, systems, and environmental changes (PSE) in areas of food systems, active living, school health, and early childhood. Taken together, education, marketing, and PSE changes are more effective than any of these strategies alone for preventing overweight and obesity.