The overarching goal of the RNECE initiative was to improve the health of low income Americans by fostering a culture of health. This goal was achieved through multiple strategies, including nutrition education and complementary public health approaches implemented at each level of the social ecological framework through policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes. This goal aligns with USDA, NIFA, and FNS priorities.
The RNECE's four objectives were to:
- Strengthen the evidence-base on effective nutrition education/obesity prevention programs for diverse population groups.
- Evaluate long-term effectiveness of nutrition education/obesity prevention interventions for disadvantaged and underserved populations and opportunities for new research.
- Identify and create research collaborations and synergistic relationships among researchers, program directors, universities and other implementers, and state and federal agencies.
- Enhance the impact of state and community nutrition education and obesity prevention efforts by providing the public health-related training and evidence that practitioners need for improving nutrition and health behaviors, environments, and policies in ways that are equitable, efficient, and sustained over time.