title: Moving from policy to implementation: a methodology and lessons learned to determine eligibility for healthy food financing projects.
abstract: Public health obesity prevention experts have recently emphasized a policy systems and environmental change approach. Absent, however, are studies describing how practitioners transition from policy adoption to implementation. In the realm of food policy, financing programs to incentivize healthy food retail development in communities classified as "underserved" are underway at the local, state, and national levels. Implementing these policies requires a clear definition of eligibility for program applicants and policy administrators. This article outlines a methodology to establish eligibility for healthy food financing programs by describing the work of The Food Trust to coadminister programs in 3 distinct regions. To determine program eligibility, qualitative assessments of community fit are needed and national data sources must be locally verified. Our findings have broad implications for programs that assess need to allocate limited public/private financing resources.
authors.affiliation: National Campaign for Healthy Food Access (Ms Harries and Koprak), Research, Evaluation and Consulting (Mss Young, Weiss and Dr Karpyn), The Food Trust, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Prevention Research Center at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana (Dr Parker). Dr Parker is now Executive Director, Market Umbrella, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harries
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koprak
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karpyn
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005380:Financing, Government; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States