Program Description

The Network employs a broad-based social marketing campaign to meets its behavioral objectives. This includes:

• Partnership and Resource Development: The Network currently funds over 130 projects, including Local Incentive Awardees (LIAs), special projects, California Project LEAN regions, 5 a Day-Power Play! regions, and Network partners that serve as "ambassadors" in delivering the 5 A Day and physical activity messages.
• Research and Evaluation: CPNS conducts the only statewide surveys focusing exclusively on healthy eating and physical activity. The surveys are used to help set state and local priorities and to raise public awareness. Focus groups, pilot tests and economic studies also are conducted.
• Media and Retail: The Network and the 5 a Day Campaign conduct media and public relations activities, including the purchase of television and radio airtime; placement of outdoor ads, such as mobile billboards and bus wraps; regional media tours conducted by trained state and local spokespeople, supported by public relations activities at the community level. The retail merchandising components of the program include customized point-of-sale materials; ad slicks for print advertisements; in-store recipe booklets and brochures; and a CD-ROM containing advertising copy, graphics, health tips, and nutrition information to be used by retailers.
• Community Interventions/Development: The Network and the 5 a Day Campaign facilitate the efforts of a wide range of community-based organizations to promote healthy eating and physical activity by increasing access to tested social marketing interventions, fostering partnerships, stimulating community development initiatives, and encouraging new interventions by Local Incentive Awardees. They include 34 school districts, 24 local health departments, 12 food security organizations, 13 African American faith organizations, 12 California Project LEAN regions, 11 5 a Day-Power Play! Campaign regions, 13 public colleges and universities, 3 Healthy Cities and Communities, 7 tribal organizations, 3 park and recreation departments, 3 city government agencies, and 3 Cooperative Extension agencies. Seven Cancer Research Projects also support Network interventions.
• Policy, Environmental and Systems Change: The Network asks all its funded projects to change organizational policies and the physical environment and help low income families eat more fruits and vegetables, be more active, and participate in USDA nutrition assistance programs.
• Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity: The Network is working to facilitate the efforts of a wide range of physicians, health departments, school districts, and community-based organizations to promote healthy eating and physical activity habits in school-aged children and their parents.

Mission Statement

The mission of the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families (Network) is to create innovative partnerships so that low-income Californians are enabled to adopt healthy eating and physical activity patterns as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Behavioral Objectives

The Network seeks to increase Californians' consumption of fruits and vegetables to 5 or more daily servings, increase daily physical activity to at least 30 minutes for adults and 60 minutes for children, and achieve full participation in Federal food assistance programs.

Funding

Principal funding for the Network and the 5 a Day Campaign is made possible by in-kind contributions from state and local governments that qualify for Federal Financial Participation dollars from the U. S. Department of Agriculture's Food Stamp Program.