Food Insecurity in Rural Utah: Identification of Nutritional Habits, Barriers and Potential Barriers to Quality Nutrition and a Planning Framework for a Nutrition Intervention Program

Food insecurity and malnutrition is a serious health problem for low-income, minority children in both the United States (U.S.) and world-wide.  Malnutrition causes an array of serious health problems, many of which can become chronic.  The health of populations living in rural areas of the U.S. has become a significant issue in public health. In Utah, Hispanic children living in rural areas are particularly at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition.  Residents of rural areas in Utah have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables, key factors of balanced nutrition.  By method of an in-person, self-reported cross-sectional survey conducted in February 2014, the barriers, needs and nutritional habits were identified from a sample population in Millard County, Utah. Millard County is one of six counties in Central Utah and encompasses one of the largest rural areas in the state.  The results of this study indicate that a lack of communication regarding existing resources and a way to share those internal resources appear to be significant barriers to poor nutrition and access to fresh produce. These results are consistent with existing data which indicates inadequate amounts of vegetable consumption in rural populations. This study provides supporting evidence for the implementation of a nutrition intervention program which incorporates the exchange and sharing of existing community farm spaces and garden food.  It is recommended that this intervention also incorporate a network of communication for how to best share both labor and product of said farms and gardens.  The implementation of a community garden support system program has significant potential to enhance access to fruits and vegetables and thus quality nutrition for low-income families in the rural area of Millard County, Utah.