Mobilizing partnerships: A community-based approach for promoting nutrition among African Americans and Latinos

The Kansas City-Chronic Disease Coalition is a REACH 2010 initiative working to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes among African Americans and Latinos in Kansas City, Missouri. The purpose of this study is to examine the types of activities KC-CDC and its partners implemented to change the eating habits of African Americans and Latinos. KC-CDC's principal strategy in promoting nutrition was to mobilize partners such as neighborhood and faith organizations by providing resources (e.g., supplies and informational materials) and technical assistance and engaging in capacity building through nutrition training for key leaders to aid in the implementation of new or modified programs, policies, or practices aimed at promoting nutrition. Collaborative relationships were established in which the Coalition agreed to provide these supports and partners agreed to assist with the implementation of the Coalition's action plan. Data regarding KC-CDC's efforts come from two sources: an online documentation system to track and characterize the activities of the partners and behavioral risk factor surveys conducted before and during the intervention. Efforts to mobilize these partners were successful in that data indicate that between 10/2001 and 9/2006, 163 new programs, policies, or practices targeting nutrition were implemented by partners. Examples of these activities include providing cooking demonstrations and changing policies regarding the type of foods offered at faith organization events. These accomplishments prioritized African Americans (57% of total) as opposed to Latinos (14.7%). Preliminary analysis of data comparing the percentage of people who consume five or more servings of fruits or vegetables before and after the onset of the intervention indicate that consumption has changed significantly from 16.4% in 2001 to 21.2% in 2006 (p-value= .039) among African Americans but not among Latinos. This study has implications for public health practice related to developing partnerships that can be mobilized to improve nutrition among prioritized populations.