Oral

Over the past decade, public health researchers have documented disparities in access to healthy foods based on the racial and wealth compositions of neighborhoods. These disparities are associated with residents' diets, as well as rates of obesity. Consequently, there is growing interest among public health professionals about how to properly intervene in this area. One approach has been for affected communities to address these inequalities with programs developed by community members. The purpose of this session is to describe four community-based participatory projects that are addressing a lack of healthy food availability and discuss ways to network with store owners, churches, youth clubs and local development corporations in order to improve access to foods for Latinos, Blacks, rural and urban communities. Evaluations will include the measurement of shopping patterns, dietary behavior, structural changes in stores and marketing, influence of food pantries, as well as the strengths and limitations of addressing disparities in access to healthy foods with a community-owned and operated food store. The relevance of this session for public health is to understand the degree to which these community-based programs can be considered viable options for interventions into other communities. This is a particularly important and timely session, because local and state governments are increasingly acknowledging the difference between communities regarding access to healthy foods.

Session Objectives: 1) Evaluate the feasibility of the community-based participatory model to address disparities in food access. 2) Compare processes for developing community partnerships that increase access to food.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)