Community nutrition policy, system, and environmental (PSE) interventions are effective strategies for promoting healthy diets for chronic disease prevention. PSEs help make environments match healthy eating messages by making the healthy choice the easy choice in the places where we live, work, learn, and play.

  • Policy change seeks to change laws, ordinances, rules, or regulations. Policy change may target government entities at the national, state, and/or local levels. Policy change can also target organizations such as schools, childcare centers, businesses, or religious institutions.
  • Systems change seeks to shift the way a community makes decisions about policies, programs, and the allocation of resources, and influence how communities provide services to residents.
  • Environmental change alters physical or social environments where people live, work, learn, and play. This may include developing or enhancing infrastructure or promoting social norms to shift behaviors within environments.

Policy, system, and environmental (PSE) interventions are crucial because they shift the focus from individual behavior change to creating supportive environments that make healthy choices easier for everyone.

  • Addressing Root Causes: PSE changes tackle the underlying factors that contribute to health and social problems, such as poverty, lack of access to resources, and systemic inequities. This leads to more sustainable and effective solutions.
  • Promoting Prevention: By shaping environments, PSE interventions prevent problems before they occur. For example, policies that promote healthy food options in schools can help prevent childhood obesity.
  • Improving Population Health: PSE strategies have a broad impact, affecting entire communities rather than just individuals. This leads to improvements in overall population health outcomes.
  • Advancing Equity: PSE changes can help reduce health disparities by addressing social determinants of health, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background.
  • Ensuring Sustainability: Unlike individual direct education programs, PSE interventions create lasting changes that can endure over time.
  • Creating Healthier Environments. By changing the environments that people live in, it makes the healthy choice the easy choice. For example, building sidewalks and bike paths encourages physical activity.

PSE interventions recognize that individual choices are heavily influenced by the environments in which people live, work, and play. By modifying these environments, we can create healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable communities for everyone.

The PSE READI (Readiness Assessment and Decision Instrument) is an online tool for practitioners to assess community readiness and capacity to implement community nutrition PSEs. Users can take PSE READI assessments in six different interventions areas: farm to school programs, farmers markets, healthy food retail, healthy food in childcare, food pantries, and K-12 schools.

Each assessment is made up of approximately 25 questions and takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. For each question, a user will be asked to reflect on their community and select a response option for each question. There are no right or wrong answers. Once all questions are completed, our research-informed algorithm generates three tailored recommendations for action.

This online tool, originally developed in 2015, was designed through a partnership between Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University, SNAP-Ed program. This partnership stemmed through a shared belief in the importance of PSE work and the desire to support community nutrition practitioners as they plan, implement, and sustain PSE interventions.

We recognize that PSE work is complex. No two communities are the same, and many factors influence community readiness and capacity for change. In recognition of these differences, we believe that successful interventions are ones tailored to the specific needs and strengths of each community.

More specifically, we aim to achieve the following:
  • Provide a tool to assess readiness and capacity factors in the diverse communities where community nutrition PSEs are being implemented.
  • Give users tailored guidance and resources to optimize success with community nutrition PSE implementation in targeted communities
  • Help make the healthy choice, the easy choice for low-income populations.

To develop each PSE READI assessment, the PSE READI team used a multiphase consensus-building approach. The goal was to develop a tool based on perceptions of practitioners and community members to foster relevance and utility. This process was completed in five phases and repeated separately for Farmers’ Markets, Healthy Eating in Childcare, Health Food Retail, Farm to School, K-12, and Food Pantries.

  • Phase 1 – Qualitative Study: Community nutrition practitioners enacting PSE interventions and SNAP recipients are interviewed about key factors influencing the success of PSE interventions in a given area.
  • Phase 2 – Indicator Development: Interview response data is analyzed to draw out themes and indicators of PSE intervention success. These themes and indicators are formatted into questions that are to be considered for inclusion into the PSE READI assessment.
  • Phase 3 – Consensus Conference: Experts in the PSE area are invited to review the findings of the qualitative study. Experts are asked to evaluate the quality, relevancy, and importance of assessment themes and questions to the intended intervention area. Their evaluations impact which themes and indicators are included in each assessment, as well as informs the structure of the assessment algorithm.
  • Phase 4 – Indicator Refinement: Following feedback from experts, the research team solidifies the survey themes and indicators. The team then creates recommendations by writing narrative text and linking relevant resources.
  • Phase 5 – Pilot Testing: Practitioners in the field are asked to review PSE READI assessment content for relevancy and test the functionality of the online assessment.

The PSE READI project is a partnership between Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University, SNAP-Ed program. PSE READI is supported by  grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Ohio SNAP-Ed program evaluation).

For more information, please refer to our publications and presentations tab below.

Each PSE READI assessment is made up of a series of indicator questions grouped under area-specific themes. During the consensus conference phase, each indicator question and theme is evaluated based on its relative importance to the success of an intervention in the chosen area.

As users respond to each question on the survey, the PSE READI algorithm considers (1) what questions are the most important for implementation and (2) the areas in which the community needs the most support. The algorithm will always produce three recommendations for next step action.

For more information, please refer to our publications and presentations tab below.

The PSE READI website and assessments are reviewed and refined by members of the Case Western Reserve University research team and partnering organizations. It is the goal of the research team to review the front-facing website content and functionality of the algorithm every three months. Throughout the year, we also collaborate with our partners to review and refine PSE READI recommendations. Each area is scheduled to be updated every 18 months.

We are always open to considering new resources to add to the Resource Bank. If you would like to include a resource to the site, please submit your suggestion via our suggestion form. Resources are reviewed for acceptance multiple times a year.

The current version of the PSE READI website is maintained by KeystoneIT.

Publications

  • Lee, E., Dalton, J., Ngendahimana, D., Bebo, P., Davis, A., Remley, D., Smathers, C., & Freedman, D.A. (2017). Consensus modeling to develop the farmers’ market readiness assessment and decision instrument. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 7(3); 506-516. [READ HERE]
  • Parsons, A.A., Monteban, M., Lee, E., Bebo, P., Zubieta, A.C., Ginetti, S., Hewitt, J., & Freedman, D. (2019). Indicators of Readiness and Capacity for Implementation of Healthy Eating Strategies in Childcare Settings Serving Low-income Children. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51; 465-477. [READ HERE]
  • Cascio, M.A., Lee, E., Vaudrin, N., & Freedman, D.A. (2019). A Team-Based Approach to Open Coding: Considerations for Creating Intercoder Consensus. Field Methods, 31(2); 116-130. [READ HERE]
  • Lee, E., Smathers, C., Zubieta, A. C., Ginnetti, S., Shah, A., & Freedman, D. A. (2019). Identifying indicators of readiness and capacity for implementing farm to school interventions. Journal of School Health, 89(5), 373-381. [READ HERE]
  • Sanchez-Flack, J., Joshi, K., Lee, E.E., & Freedman, D.A. (2021). Indicators of Readiness and Capacity for Implementation of Healthy Food Retail Interventions. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(3), 1-17. [READ HERE]
  • Yamoah, O., Schulte, J., Osborn, L., Ogland-Hand, C., Zubieta, A. C., & Freedman, D. A.  (2023). Pantry clients and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education practitioners’ perspectives on factors influencing healthy eating policy, system and environmental interventions in food pantries. Journal of Nutritional Science, 12, e81. [READ HERE]
  • Ogland-Hand, C., Schulte, J., Osborn, L.M., Yamoah, O., Bebo, P. & Freedman, D.A. (in press). Healthy Eating in K–12 Schools: Assessing Readiness and Capacity to Guide SNAP-Ed Programming in Ohio. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.  [READ HERE]

Presentations

  • Ogland-Hand, C., Schulte, J., Osborn, L., Yamoah, O., Zubieta, A.C., & Freedman, D.A. (2022, November). Healthy eating in K-12 schools: themes and indicators for assessing community capacity and readiness [Presentation]. American Public Health Association 2022 Convention, Boston, MA, United States.
  • Schulte, J., Ciesielski, T., Ngendahimana, D., & Freedman, D.A., (2023, December). Development and Simulation of a Scoring Algorithm to Tailor Policy, System, and Environmental Interventions to Community Readiness and Capacity [Poster Presentation]. 16th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation (D&I), Arlington, VA, United States.
  • Poppe, K., Riley, M. (2023, June).  The PSE READI: A Tool to Assess Community Capacity and Readiness for Healthy Eating PSE Interventions [Virtual Presentation]. The MPRO Farm to Child Nutrition Program Summit.
  • Yamoah, O., Poppe, K., Riley, M. (2023, February 7). The Power of Partnership: Developing a Tool to Assess Community Capacity and Readiness for Healthy Eating PSE Interventions [Presentation]. 2023 ASNNA Conference, Arlington, VA.

The PSE READI is primarily designed for practitioners and organizations working in the community nutrition space. Any users in Ohio and Wisconsin are able to make an account and complete assessments.

The PSE READI is a part of the National SNAP-Ed Toolkit, and assessments are nationally applicable. We are consistently doing outreach to expand access to more states. Please reach out to [email protected] if you are interested in adding your state to the PSE READI website.

Please note, if the PSE READI assessment feature is not yet available in your state, you are still able to access other features on our site. This includes information about PSEs, the Know Your Community page, and the Resource Bank.

Just as individuals vary in their readiness to change, communities also vary. Each community may be at a different level of readiness and capacity for community nutrition PSEs. The PSE READI can help you assess, plan, and act to optimize success in a specific community or targeted service area.

1) Decide what PSE READI assessment makes the most sense for your intended intervention.

The PSE READI tool is only designed to consider one PSE intervention at a time. Refer to our PSE Areas tab to learn about the six available assessment areas. Consider taking the assessment area that is most directly related to your intervention or intended audience.

2) Have a community in mind for your intervention site.

When setting up an assessment, users will be asked to identify the community where the intervention is being planned or implemented. Users will be prompted to select their state, county, and applicable zip codes. This geographical information is used by PSE READI leaders in each state to better understand where the PSE READI tool is being actively used and readiness within the state.

3) Determine if you would like to take the assessment as an individual or a team.

The PSE READI assessment can be taken by one user or a group of users. Team assessments can be particularly beneficial if the practitioner has a limited understanding of the community or is actively partnering with other organizations in the community. A key difference between taking the PSE READI as an individual or as a team is when and how the report of tailored recommendations and resources is generated.
  • Reports for an individual user: If you take a PSE READI as an individual, you will receive a report with three evidence-based recommendations and resources tailored to your specific service area or targeted community. The report will be generated upon completion of a PSE READI and will be saved in your user account for future reference.
  • Reports for a team: If you choose to take a PSE READI as team, you, as the team leader, will be prompted to enter the email addresses of each invited member when setting up the assessment. Invited members will receive an email with the linked assessment. After each team member completes a PSE READI, one report of tailored recommendations and resources can then be generated on the team leader’s dashboard. Results of a team PSE READI are part of a collective process and are designed to be shared with participating team members. The team leader is encouraged to invite all team members to a debriefing meeting to review the results of the report together.

Refer to our printable instructions and video tutorials to learn more about taking the assessment as an individual or a team.

After clicking on the Take An Assessment button and selecting your PSE area of choice, users can choice to take a ‘practice’ or ‘official’ assessment. If you are leading a PSE READI tutorial or just interested in what a PSE READI assessment looks like, please select ‘Practice’. While practice and official assessments produce the same recommendations, practice data is not stored in the PSE READI database.

Once users complete brief demographic and geographical questions, they will be asked to answer survey questions on a 5-point scale ranging from “not at all” to “extremely”. The options “don’t know” and “not applicable” should be used the following circumstances:

  • Don’t Know = If the question may apply, but you are unsure how to answer the question
  • Not Applicable = If the question does not apply to your area of work.

Refer to our printable instructions and video tutorials to learn more about taking the assessment.

Once all questions on the PSE READI are completed, a report with three evidence-based recommendations and supporting resources tailored to your community’s readiness and capacity will be provided.

  • Reports for an individual user: If you are taking a PSE READI as an individual, the report will be generated immediately after you complete the assessment. The report will be saved in your user dashboard for future reference.
  • Reports for a team: If you are taking a PSE READI as a team, the report will only generate after all team members have completed it or the team leader closes the assessment. Please note, only the team leader will be able to generate this report but has the ability to share it with team members.

After you’ve taken an assessment for a particular PSE area, we recommend re-taking the same assessment every 6-8 months or as needed after significant progress/changes in your intervention or community context (i.e. roadblocks/barriers, new partnerships, changes in funding, etc.)

[email protected]
©2025 PSE READI. PSE READI is owned and licensed by Case Western Reserve University. All Rights Reserved.