2.1 Approaches Changing health behaviors at any level is complicated. The FNS SNAP-Ed guidance identifies three approaches based on the Social-Ecological Model (SEM), also referred to as the Vermont Prevention Model (visual below) which must be taken. This model provides a public health framework identifying sectors (community, organization, individuals) and levels of influence (individual, environmental, policy) to impact behaviors Approaches: 1. Individual or group-based nutrition education or physical activity strategies – are conducted at the individual and relationship levels. 2. Comprehensive, multi-level interventions at multiple complementary organizational and institutional levels - addressing several or all elements of the SEM; incudes PSE strategies may target the individual, the interpersonal (family, friends, etc.), organizational (workplace, school, etc.), community (food retailers, food deserts, etc.), and public policy or societal (local laws, social norms, etc.) levels. A key tenet is reaching the target audience at more than one level of the SEM and that the interventions mutually reinforce each other. Multi-level interventions generally are thought of as having three or more levels of influence.
