Improving the food environment in six vulnerable communities: Evaluation of the Food & Fitness community partnerships

Introduction

Since 2007, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has funded six community coalitions, the Food & Fitness Partnerships, to improve equity in access to healthy, locally-grown food and environments that support active living. These multi-sector coalitions have targeted their policy and system change efforts in the most vulnerable neighborhoods in their communities, areas with the lowest access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity, as well as the highest burden of disease.

Methods

The Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan worked with the partnerships to develop and implement a cross-site evaluation that utilized several methods to collect information related to changes in the food environment, including:  a policy and systems change tracking tool, stories, and key informant interviews.

Results

Between 2009 and 2012, partnerships reported 150 system or policy change outcomes to improve the food environments in their targeted vulnerable communities. Examples included: implementing Farm to School programs, establishing school or community gardens, expanding EBT usage at and number of farmer’s markets, increasing the number of local food producers, and creating local food hubs.  

Discussion

Achieving long-term changes to the food environment requires changing systems and policies which affect food production, distribution, procurement and access. Partnerships found that sustainable change is more likely if community members, particularly those most impacted by inequity, are meaningfully engaged in all phases of the work. Capacity was built in these communities by forging coalitions, providing training and technical assistance, and investing in community infrastructure and local food economies.