Abstract
Farmers' markets are an innovative strategy to potentially increase healthy nutrition environments. Kaiser Permanente (KP), the largest private, nonprofit healthcare system in the country, has been hosting farmers' markets on its medical campuses since 2003 and now has markets in nearly 40 KP locations in four states: California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Maryland. This paper describes the KP farmers' market program and summarizes the results of a patron survey conducted in 2010 among 2,435 market patrons. The majority of patrons are KP physicians and staff, and a quarter of patrons are KP members and community residents. The markets appear to have an impact on what people are eating: 74% of all patrons reported eating more fruits and vegetables as a result of coming to the market. The KP experience may be generalizable to other healthcare organizations and to other large employers.
Highlights
IntroductionMarkets are recommended as an innovative strategy to increase healthy nutrition environments (Kettel Khan, Sobush, Keener, Goodman, Lowry, Kakietek, & Zaro, 2009; Institute of Medicine, 2005)
In the face of rising levels of obesity and poor nutrition that contribute to the major causes of chronic diseases in the United States, farmers’Volume 2, Issue 2 / Winter 2011–2012markets are recommended as an innovative strategy to increase healthy nutrition environments (Kettel Khan, Sobush, Keener, Goodman, Lowry, Kakietek, & Zaro, 2009; Institute of Medicine, 2005)
In summer 2010, Kaiser Permanente (KP) partnered with the Group Health Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) to conduct a cross-site survey of market patrons
Summary
Markets are recommended as an innovative strategy to increase healthy nutrition environments (Kettel Khan, Sobush, Keener, Goodman, Lowry, Kakietek, & Zaro, 2009; Institute of Medicine, 2005). Hosting farmers’ markets at hospitals and other healthcare institutions is a novel approach receiving increasing interest and attention. Hospital-based farmers’ markets provide an access point to health resources for patrons: besides produce and other fresh foods expected at a market, the hospital may provide healthy recipes, cooking demonstrations, general wellness pamphlets, and other health-promotion materials. There is a strong call to action for healthcare communities to serve as leaders toward public health advances in the obesity epidemic, by creating healthier food systems — through organizational policy, changes in the workplace food environment, and health promotion (Harvie, Mikkelsen, & Shak, 2009). For physicians and hospital employees, markets can complement employee wellness programs, which are effective at improving various health outcomes and work productivity when evidence-based (American Hospital Association, 2010; Baicker, Cutler, & Song, 2010)
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