Pass the Fruits and Vegetables! A Community—University—Industry Partnership Promotes Weight Loss in African American Women

Abstract

This article describes a community-university-industry partnership to alleviate food insecurity while promoting weight loss. Twenty-one overweight African American women are randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Each receives supermarket gift cards and brief health education monthly for 3 months. The experimental group buys fresh produce only, whereas the control group buys any groceries. Data on weight, body mass index (BMI), waist-hip circumferences, and dietary intake are collected at baseline and months 1 to 3. Nine (43%) have complete data. Quantitative data reveal that the experimental group have lost significantly more weight (-6, +4 lbs), significantly reduced BMI (-1, +0.7), and eat significantly more raw, fresh produce (1.29, 0.15 cups). A focus group held at month 4 is rich with the meanings of participating, eating "well," and forming new habits. A nutrient-dense diet that is calorically balanced is the hallmark of health and well-being and may be related to weight loss in new ways. However, this diet is not always affordable by those most in need of it. The unexpected outcome of a statistical relationship among consuming raw, freshly prepared produce, weight loss, and BMI reduction within 3 months is not altogether explainable. There are obvious benefits, however, to these outcomes that support the continuing study of the phenomenon.