Leveraging Community-Academic Partnerships to Improve Healthy Food Access in an Urban, Kansas City, Kansas, Community

Abstract

Leveraging Community-Academic Partnerships to Improve Healthy Food Access in an Urban, Kansas City, Kansas, Community Natabhona Marianne Mabachi, PhD and Kim S. Kimminau, PhD What Is the Purpose of this Study? • To partner with grass roots organizations in a low-income, minority, urban community, to develop a business plan to improve access to healthy foods. • This was done by engaging residents in community conversations and conducting a Community Food Assessment Survey, and using the data to drive the development of strategies to improve food access. What Is the Problem? • Overweight and obesity levels are at epidemic proportions in the United States. Eating healthy, unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is one way to combat obesity. • Studies indicate that Americans who live in underserved, low-income, minority communities have poor access to nutritious, fairly priced, high-quality foods. • It becomes difficult for residents of such communities to follow recommended dietary guidelines, thus increasing their risk of obesity and other conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. • Community-based participatory research approaches are increasingly being used to solve community food access issues. What Are the Findings? • Residents are unanimously dissatisfied with the lack of a full-service grocery store in Argentine and chose the introduction of a grocery store as their top solution to food access issues in the community. • On average residents spend $104 per week for a five-person household. • On average residents had to go 3.5 to 5 miles to access the nearest full-service grocery stores, making Argentine a food desert. • An unexpectedly low percentage (10.6%) of residents surveyed reported being on the Federal Women, Infants and Children program. However 35.7% reported being on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. • Eighty percent of residents reported shopping at least weekly or more with 11% shopping for a household other than their own. • Although ratings of food quality at stores frequented were high, fruit and vegetable consumption was low owing to prohibitive costs and personal preferences. • Residents admitted to resorting to fast food establishments as a cheap way to feed their families. Who Should Care Most? • Community-based organizations and community health centers. • Residents of underserved, low-income, minority urban and rural communities. [End Page 237] • Food policy makers. • Chain and independent grocery stores. Recommendations for Action • Communities addressing food access issues should conduct culturally tailored comprehensive community food assessments to avoid wasted time on strategies that do not match the population's needs or desires. • Community organizations should consider partnering with experts from other organizations in various sectors, including academic, financial, government, and nongovernmental agencies, to help them address food access issues. • More planning grants should be made available to communities to increase the probability of success at the implementation stage. [End Page 238] Natabhona Marianne Mabachi and Kim S. Kimminau University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Family Medicine, Research Division Copyright © 2012 The Johns Hopkins University Press