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Developing and Implementing Waupaca Eating Smart": A Restaurant and Supermarket Intervention to Promote Healthy Eating Through Changes in the Food Environment"

Equity Focus

This study targets the explanation of a programme (Waupaca Eating Smart) designed for healthy eating in restaurants and supermarkets, which can be an appropriate venue for healthy eating interventions.

Case Summary

A community–academic partnership was developed and implemented titled “Waupaca Eating Smart” (WES), a healthy eating program in restaurants and supermarkets of a rural, Midwest community. Working with a local nutrition and activity coalition, we used evidence-based strategies guided by the social ecological model and social marketing principles to inform the content of WES. Formative assessment included a review of the literature, statewide key informant interviews and focus groups with restaurant and food store operators and patrons, a local community survey, and interviews with prospective WES businesses. WES was implemented in seven restaurants and two supermarkets and evaluated for feasibility and acceptance using surveys and direct observation of WES implementation. By the end of the program, 38 meals were labeled and promoted to restaurant customers, and the team had staffed four side salad taste tests for supermarket customers. Four and 10 months after intervention launch, the majority of the program’s strategies were observed in participating outlets, suggesting that these program’s strategies are feasible and can be sustained. Operators reported strong satisfaction overall.

Lessons Learned

• A combined restaurant- and supermarket-based healthy eating intervention is feasible and positively valued in rural communities. Further research is needed to better understand how to foster sustainability of these interventions and their impact on customer food choices.

LINK TO CASE STUDY