Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115224

Raquel Bournhonesque, MPH, Community Food Security Coalition, 620 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291, 310.822.5410, raquel@foodsecurity.org and Marilyn Prehm, PhD, Prehm & Associates, 5820 Fair Oaks Blvd. #138, Carmichael, CA 95608.

Spurred by the epidemic of diet-related disease, a growing number of communities are utilizing Community Food Assessments (CFAs) as a tool to identify barriers and opportunities to create more healthy food systems. In June 2001, a groundbreaking Community Food Assessment Program was launched to establish an information clearinghouse and to provide training and technical assistance to low-income groups in California. This program is currently assisting 18 community-based projects with researching a broad range of food-related issues, and has analyzed them for preliminary results.

This analysis has shown that the assessment outcomes have been substantial, including the development of numerous community food projects, among them 1) emergency food source directories; 2) urban garden projects; 3) farmer training programs; 4) farmers market shuttles; 5) city-sanctioned food policy councils; and 6) land-use strategies to improve the food landscape. CFAs have highlighted resources and gaps, and provided policymakers and planners with the data needed to make more informed policy decisions.

Discussion will include a review of the most commonly used research methods and an analysis of their effectiveness, based on a review of the 18 projects. New trends will be examined, including a greater interest in: school-based food assessments, municipal policy change opportunities, and local food sourcing and micro-enterprise development. Discussion will also focus on the value of assessments to identify barriers to community health and nutrition in low-income areas, such as: 1) the loss of supermarkets; 2) lack of space for community gardening; and 3) disproportionately high concentration of fast food outlets.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Identify the most common and effective CFA research methods.
• List five new trends in CFA work.
• Identify how CFAs can generate research that informs policy and planning decisions.

Keywords: Assessments, Food and Nutrition

Related Web page: www.foodsecurity.org/cfa_home.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation