WIC Works Resource System
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Job aid for WLOL course: VENA: Connecting the Dots Between Assessment and Intervention
What is VENA?
VENA is a participant-centered, health outcome-based approach to the WIC nutrition assessment, and puts the participant's needs and the goal of a healthy outcome at the core of WIC nutrition services.
VENA Guidance assists WIC State agencies in developing policies and procedures related to the WIC nutrition assessment. The USDA, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) first issued VENA Guidance in 2006. Since then, State and local agencies have put new approaches into action and discovered more effective strategies to foster participants’ engagement in the WIC appointment and to encourage participants to adopt positive nutrition and physical activity behaviors.
Read more about VENA, and access the guidance right here on WIC Works.
While the focus of VENA is to strengthen risk assessment, one of the outcomes is collecting more relevant information to use for providing individualized nutrition services. This job aid supports the WIC Learning Online course, VENA: Connecting the Dots Between Assessment and Intervention, and reviews two participant-centered approaches to assist in identifying a participant's strengths and motivations for change.
