Youth-led change initiatives to improve community access to healthy foods: A corner store conversion

One in three children and youth in the US are obese or overweight (e.g., Trust for America's Health, 2009; Pekruhn, 2009), placing them at increased risk for health problems. This childhood obesity epidemic is shaped by environmental factors that include access to healthy foods. Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) is a joint effort among local government, community organizations, and community members to address obesity in the San Joaquin Valley. Youth representing CCROPP in Fresno County worked to improve access to healthy foods in the low-income communities of urban Fresno. As part of their work, Fresno youth completed a healthy corner store conversion. This presentation will highlight: 1) the steps young people took in the store conversion, including action research (PhotoVoice, surveys) to uncover community issues related to healthy food access; store owner outreach; partnerships with local farmers; community and media outreach; and widespread community engagement; and 2)outcomes stemming from this work, including increases in fresh produce sales, maintenance and expansion of changes, and community recognition of the store owner.

In addition, the presentation details how young people were recruited, supported, and engaged to change their communities. Young people have often not been engaged in developing community solutions (Jensen, 1997, Percy-Smith, 2007) and a deeper understanding of how to engage youth as advocates is needed, as effective obesity prevention must include community generated, collaborative efforts and involve multiple generational and institutional stakeholders (e.g., Khan, 2009; Sallis & Glanz, 2009).