Community-Engaged Strategies To Improve Food Access, Food Security, and Health Outcomes

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2024 | Viewed by 1269

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: nutrition; food security; nutritional, physical, and emotional health across the life span
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

People with limited resources or those who reside in underserved and rural areas are at increased risk for adverse nutrition-related health outcomes. Among the challenges they face are limited access to affordable healthy food options and increased risk for episodic or chronic food insecurity. Successful programs approach multiple factors that might affect health and are now employing community engagement, which recognizes the complex role played by social and physical environments and engages neighborhoods, health practices, organized groups, agencies, institutions, and individuals. Engagement strategies include outreach and education, consultation, cooperation, collaboration, and/or partnership. However, more evidence is still needed on the community-engaged strategies and factors that can contribute to the adherence and maintenance of changes regarding healthy food patterns.

This Special Issue will show why community engagement strategies are ideal for promoting healthy nutrition and well-being to individuals, families, and communities. We invite the submission of original research, review articles, as well as program development, feasibility studies, evaluation, and sustainability-related topics including, but not limited, to the following:

  • Establishment and maintenance of food incentive programs;
  • Food access and sustainability of school and community gardens;
  • Strategies that involve local farms;
  • Produce prescriptions and health outcomes;
  • Healthcare and worksite collaborations;
  • Role of food banks and food pantries in promoting healthy outcomes;
  • Role of school and after-school in promoting heathy eating

Prof. Dr. Joseph Sharkey
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • community engagement
  • fresh fruit and vegetables
  • incentive programs
  • school and community gardens
  • farm collaborations
  • food banks and food pantries
  • healthcare collaborations
  • produce prescriptions
  • policy, system, and environment

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 285 KiB  
Article
The Quality of Menu Offerings in Independently Owned Restaurants in Baltimore, Maryland: Results from Mixed-Methods Formative Research for the FRESH Trial
by Shuxian Hua, Anna Claire Tucker, Sydney R. Santos, Audrey E. Thomas, Yeeli Mui, Veronica Velez-Burgess, Lisa Poirier, Lawrence J. Cheskin, Mika Matsuzaki, Stacey Williamson, Uriyoan Colon-Ramos and Joel Gittelsohn
Nutrients 2024, 16(10), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16101524 - 18 May 2024
Viewed by 577
Abstract
(1) Background: Independently owned restaurants (IORs) are prevalent in under-resourced racial and ethnic minority communities in the US and present a unique setting for public health nutrition interventions. (2) Methods: We conducted 14 in-depth interviews with IOR owners in Baltimore about their perceptions [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Independently owned restaurants (IORs) are prevalent in under-resourced racial and ethnic minority communities in the US and present a unique setting for public health nutrition interventions. (2) Methods: We conducted 14 in-depth interviews with IOR owners in Baltimore about their perceptions of healthy food, and customers’ acceptance of healthier menus and cooking methods and concurrent observations of the availability of healthy options on their menus. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Observations were analyzed with statistical analysis performed in R. (3) Results: Owners perceived non-fried options, lean proteins, and plant-based meals as healthy. While open to using healthier cooking fats, they had mixed feelings about reducing salt, adopting non-frying methods for cooking, and adding vegetables and whole grains to the menu, and were reluctant to reduce sugar in recipes and beverages. Only 17.5% of 1019 foods and 27.6% of 174 beverages in these IORs were healthy, with no significant differences in the healthfulness of restaurant offerings within low-healthy-food-access/low-income neighborhoods and those outside. (4) Conclusion: Healthy options are generally scarce in Baltimore’s IORs. Insights from owners inform future interventions to tailor healthy menu offerings that are well-received by customers and feasible for implementation. Full article
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