Rural African American communities have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease and o... more Rural African American communities have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Men on the Move (MOTM) is a community based participatory research project addressing individual, social and environmental factors contributing to these health risks. The individual level interventions include community-wide cooking demonstrations, family dinner nights, taste testings, and bulletin boards. To address environmental factors (access), MOTM advocates for changes in food offerings in local grocery stores and created community and production produce gardens that distribute to individual residents and local vendors. Baseline and mid-intervention community-wide surveys were conducted with 400 intervention community residents and 400 comparison community residents. Chi-square tests indicate that when analyzed against the comparison community, intervention community residents participating in MOTM individual nutrition activities and accessing produce from the gardens were ...
Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces chronic disease risk, yet the majority of Americans consu... more Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces chronic disease risk, yet the majority of Americans consume fewer than the recommended 5 to 9 servings a day. Inadequate access to fresh produce is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to low consumption of healthy foods. Emerging evidence shows the effectiveness of community gardens in increasing access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Two complementary evaluations explored the association of community garden participation and fruit and vegetable consumption in rural communities. Participants in a rural community garden intervention completed self-administered surveys. Study results show that frequent participation in a community garden was associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. Individuals who worked in a community garden at least once a week were more likely to report eating fruits and vegetables than those participating less than once a week (OR 6.1, 95% CI 2.6, 14.4). Telephone surveys were als...
INTRODUCTION: Pemiscot County, Missouri has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the st... more INTRODUCTION: Pemiscot County, Missouri has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state with 1 in 4 households with children identified as food insecure. Rates for African American children tend to be disproportionately higher. Food insecurity during childhood is associated with poor health and developmental outcomes. Summer is a vulnerable time for households with children, particularly those living in rural communities. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that affect summer food insecurity among African American children in a rural area and determine potential points of intervention. METHODS: Structured focus group interviews were conducted with 23 African American caregivers of school-aged children at risk of food insecurity. Participants were recruited from summer food programs and after school programs in Pemiscot County, Missouri. Focused coding was used to analyze interviews for factors influencing whether kids had enough to eat in the summer. RE...
Background: Although there is growing evidence that physically active children perform better on ... more Background: Although there is growing evidence that physically active children perform better on tests and have improved classroom behavior, schools face challenges in providing the recommended amount of physical activity to students. Purpose: Healthier Missouri Communities, a community-academic partnership in rural southeast Missouri, is working with the Poplar Bluff School District to implement small scale environmental and policy interventions to promote physical activity within schools. Significance: This presentation identifies opportunities and barriers to make these changes and meet the needs of the district. Methodology: Surveys and interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators during the initial planning and implementation stages to understand the barriers and facilitators to making small scale environmental and policy changes. Findings: Data from the initial planning and implementation phases indicate 1) administration is supportive of adopting new environment...
Progress in community health partnerships : research, education, and action, 2010
Co-learning is one of the core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Often... more Co-learning is one of the core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Often, it is difficult to engage community members beyond those involved in the formal partnership in co-learning processes. However, to understand and address locally relevant root factors of health, it is essential to engage the broader community in participatory dialogues around these factors. This article provides a glimpse into how using a photo-elicitation process allowed a community-academic partnership to engage community members in a participatory dialogue about root factors influencing health. The article details the decision to use photo-elicitation and describes the photo-elicitation method. Similar to a focus group process, photo-elicitation uses photographs and questions to prompt reflection and dialogue. Used in conjunction with an economic development framework, this method allows participants to discuss underlying, or root, community processes and structures that influence he...
African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and ve... more African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and vegetable consumption. This article reports the results of an intervention to provide nutrition education and access to fruits and vegetables through community gardens to change dietary behaviors among African Americans in rural Missouri. Cross-sectional surveys evaluated the intervention effect on blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and perceived fruit and vegetable consumption in this quasi-experimental study with a comparison group. Hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.38-0.71) and BMI (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.02) were lower in the intervention county at mid-intervention. Participation in nutrition education (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.63-4.40) and access to fruits and vegetables from a community garden (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.20-3.15) were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption. The strongest effect on perceived fruit and vegetable consumption occurred with ...
African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and ve... more African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and vegetable consumption. This article reports the results of an intervention to provide nutrition education and access to fruits and vegetables through community gardens to change dietary behaviors among African Americans in rural Missouri. Cross-sectional surveys evaluated the intervention effect on blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and perceived fruit and vegetable consumption in this quasi-experimental study with a comparison group. Hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.38-0.71) and BMI (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.02) were lower in the intervention county at mid-intervention. Participation in nutrition education (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.63-4.40) and access to fruits and vegetables from a community garden (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.20-3.15) were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption. The strongest effect on perceived fruit and vegetable consumption occurred with high participation in nutrition education and access to community gardens (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.24-3.81). Those with access but without education had a reduced likelihood of consuming recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95). Education plus access interventions may be best at increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables in a rural African American population.
Rural African American communities have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease and o... more Rural African American communities have some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Men on the Move (MOTM) is a community based participatory research project addressing individual, social and environmental factors contributing to these health risks. The individual level interventions include community-wide cooking demonstrations, family dinner nights, taste testings, and bulletin boards. To address environmental factors (access), MOTM advocates for changes in food offerings in local grocery stores and created community and production produce gardens that distribute to individual residents and local vendors. Baseline and mid-intervention community-wide surveys were conducted with 400 intervention community residents and 400 comparison community residents. Chi-square tests indicate that when analyzed against the comparison community, intervention community residents participating in MOTM individual nutrition activities and accessing produce from the gardens were ...
Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces chronic disease risk, yet the majority of Americans consu... more Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces chronic disease risk, yet the majority of Americans consume fewer than the recommended 5 to 9 servings a day. Inadequate access to fresh produce is increasingly recognized as a significant contributor to low consumption of healthy foods. Emerging evidence shows the effectiveness of community gardens in increasing access to and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Two complementary evaluations explored the association of community garden participation and fruit and vegetable consumption in rural communities. Participants in a rural community garden intervention completed self-administered surveys. Study results show that frequent participation in a community garden was associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. Individuals who worked in a community garden at least once a week were more likely to report eating fruits and vegetables than those participating less than once a week (OR 6.1, 95% CI 2.6, 14.4). Telephone surveys were als...
INTRODUCTION: Pemiscot County, Missouri has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the st... more INTRODUCTION: Pemiscot County, Missouri has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state with 1 in 4 households with children identified as food insecure. Rates for African American children tend to be disproportionately higher. Food insecurity during childhood is associated with poor health and developmental outcomes. Summer is a vulnerable time for households with children, particularly those living in rural communities. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that affect summer food insecurity among African American children in a rural area and determine potential points of intervention. METHODS: Structured focus group interviews were conducted with 23 African American caregivers of school-aged children at risk of food insecurity. Participants were recruited from summer food programs and after school programs in Pemiscot County, Missouri. Focused coding was used to analyze interviews for factors influencing whether kids had enough to eat in the summer. RE...
Background: Although there is growing evidence that physically active children perform better on ... more Background: Although there is growing evidence that physically active children perform better on tests and have improved classroom behavior, schools face challenges in providing the recommended amount of physical activity to students. Purpose: Healthier Missouri Communities, a community-academic partnership in rural southeast Missouri, is working with the Poplar Bluff School District to implement small scale environmental and policy interventions to promote physical activity within schools. Significance: This presentation identifies opportunities and barriers to make these changes and meet the needs of the district. Methodology: Surveys and interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators during the initial planning and implementation stages to understand the barriers and facilitators to making small scale environmental and policy changes. Findings: Data from the initial planning and implementation phases indicate 1) administration is supportive of adopting new environment...
Progress in community health partnerships : research, education, and action, 2010
Co-learning is one of the core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Often... more Co-learning is one of the core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Often, it is difficult to engage community members beyond those involved in the formal partnership in co-learning processes. However, to understand and address locally relevant root factors of health, it is essential to engage the broader community in participatory dialogues around these factors. This article provides a glimpse into how using a photo-elicitation process allowed a community-academic partnership to engage community members in a participatory dialogue about root factors influencing health. The article details the decision to use photo-elicitation and describes the photo-elicitation method. Similar to a focus group process, photo-elicitation uses photographs and questions to prompt reflection and dialogue. Used in conjunction with an economic development framework, this method allows participants to discuss underlying, or root, community processes and structures that influence he...
African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and ve... more African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and vegetable consumption. This article reports the results of an intervention to provide nutrition education and access to fruits and vegetables through community gardens to change dietary behaviors among African Americans in rural Missouri. Cross-sectional surveys evaluated the intervention effect on blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and perceived fruit and vegetable consumption in this quasi-experimental study with a comparison group. Hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.38-0.71) and BMI (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.02) were lower in the intervention county at mid-intervention. Participation in nutrition education (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.63-4.40) and access to fruits and vegetables from a community garden (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.20-3.15) were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption. The strongest effect on perceived fruit and vegetable consumption occurred with ...
African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and ve... more African Americans have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease partly due to low fruit and vegetable consumption. This article reports the results of an intervention to provide nutrition education and access to fruits and vegetables through community gardens to change dietary behaviors among African Americans in rural Missouri. Cross-sectional surveys evaluated the intervention effect on blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and perceived fruit and vegetable consumption in this quasi-experimental study with a comparison group. Hypertension (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.38-0.71) and BMI (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.52-1.02) were lower in the intervention county at mid-intervention. Participation in nutrition education (OR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.63-4.40) and access to fruits and vegetables from a community garden (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.20-3.15) were independently associated with perceived fruit and vegetable consumption. The strongest effect on perceived fruit and vegetable consumption occurred with high participation in nutrition education and access to community gardens (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.24-3.81). Those with access but without education had a reduced likelihood of consuming recommended servings of fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.95). Education plus access interventions may be best at increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables in a rural African American population.
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