Nutrition Policy Institute Logo
NPI Assessment Questionnaires

Data Collection

 

When should I complete the SLAQ or OAQ? How often does it need to be done? Is there a specific due date? 

In general, SLAQs and OAQs should be completed annually and entered and submitted within 1-2 months of completion. Learn setting or youth focused (i.e., schools, school districts, ECE, and OST) SLAQs and OAQs should be submitted by June 30 each year. Retail SLAQs should be submitted by August 31 each year.

Example: A school completes a SLAQ on paper in Sept 2024 and returns it to their LHD partner right away. While we recommend that the LHD enters and submits the school’s SLAQ responses by Nov 2024 (within 1-2 months of receiving the survey), the LHD has  until June 30, 2025 to get it submitted. 

Ideally, assessments are conducted before any new wellness-related intervention activities begin for the upcoming school or program year. Assessments the following year should occur within 1 calendar month of the previous year (e.g., if Time 1 = Aug 1, 2022, then Time 2 is somewhere in between July 1 – Sept 1, 2023).  

For partners operating on a school year timeline, SLAQs and OAQs may be completed at the beginning of the school year (e.g., August or September) and then reported in the PEARS PSE module for the coming fiscal year. 

Example: If you conduct a school SLAQ in August 2022 and are using those results to plan your CFHL work for the 2022-23 school year, you would report this SLAQ under “needs assessments” in your FFY 2023 PEARS PSE report for this school.

If you are not beginning any PSE intervention activity until later in the fiscal year or the next fiscal year, please discuss with the assessment questionnaire team the best time to conduct assessments. Some sites/organizations may also prefer to complete assessments at the end of the program year (i.e., April – July) – our team would be happy to discuss this option with you as well. 

Contact us at: EvaluateSnapEd@ucanr.edu

Check out our AQ Annual Timeline webpage or Evaluation Activity Timeline resource for more guidance.

Return to top

 

Can LHD staff complete an NPI assessment questionnaire based on other assessments a partner may have completed? 

We strongly recommend that site or organization staff complete the assessments themselves. We recognize that there may be challenges to obtaining buy-in at all sites, and that even with buy-in staff may not find time to complete and return forms. We encourage you to work with staff to find ways to make the process as easy and efficient as possible, without reducing data quality. In most cases, the information filled in on other assessments will not be sufficient to accurately respond to SLAQ or OAQ questions. If a site will be carrying out more than one assessment, we recommend collecting the data for both simultaneously.

Return to top 

 

When should the LHD Activity Checklist be completed? 

The LHD Activity Checklist can be completed or updated throughout the year, with 1 per site submitted at the end of the school or program year, once all CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL) related activities are completed. Similar to the other CFHL activity reporting, LACs must be submitted by Oct 15 of each year. Find LACs on the Questionnaires webpage, organized by setting. 

Take a look at our AQ Annual Timeline webpage or Evaluation Activity Timeline resource for more guidance.

Return to top