TY - JOUR
T1 - Voices for food
T2 - Methodologies for implementing a multi-state community-based intervention in rural, high poverty communities
AU - Stluka, Suzanne
AU - Moore, Lindsay
AU - Eicher-Miller, Heather A.
AU - Franzen-Castle, Lisa
AU - Henne, Becky
AU - Mehrle, Donna
AU - Remley, Daniel
AU - McCormack, Lacey
N1 - Funding Information:
Voices for Food is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2012–01823 from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Sustainable Food Systems Program. Any opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 The Author(s).
PY - 2018/8/23
Y1 - 2018/8/23
N2 - Background: Rural communities experience unique barriers to food access when compared to urban areas and food security is a public health issue in rural, high poverty communities. A multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention to develop food policy councils (FPCs), and improve food security in rural communities was created. Methods to carry out such an intervention were developed and are described. Methods: A longitudinal, matched treatment and comparison study was conducted in 24 rural, high poverty counties in South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio. Counties were assigned to a treatment (n = 12) or comparison (n = 12) group. Intervention activities focus on three key components that impact food security: 1) community coaching by Extension Educators/field staff, 2) FPC development, and 3) development of a MyChoice food pantry. Community coaching was only provided to intervention counties. Evaluation components focus on three levels of the intervention: 1) Community (FPCs), 2) Food Pantry Organization, and 3) Pantry Client & Families. Participants in this study were community stakeholders, food pantry directors, staff/volunteers and food pantry clients. Pantry food access/availability including pantry food quality and quantity, household food security and pantry client dietary intake are dependent variables. Discussion: The results of this study will provide a framework for utilizing a multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention with the purpose of improving food security in rural, high poverty communities. Additionally, the results of this study will yield evidence-based best practices and tools for both FPC development and the transition to a guided-client choice model of distribution in food pantries. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03566095. Retrospectively registered on June, 21, 2018.
AB - Background: Rural communities experience unique barriers to food access when compared to urban areas and food security is a public health issue in rural, high poverty communities. A multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention to develop food policy councils (FPCs), and improve food security in rural communities was created. Methods to carry out such an intervention were developed and are described. Methods: A longitudinal, matched treatment and comparison study was conducted in 24 rural, high poverty counties in South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio. Counties were assigned to a treatment (n = 12) or comparison (n = 12) group. Intervention activities focus on three key components that impact food security: 1) community coaching by Extension Educators/field staff, 2) FPC development, and 3) development of a MyChoice food pantry. Community coaching was only provided to intervention counties. Evaluation components focus on three levels of the intervention: 1) Community (FPCs), 2) Food Pantry Organization, and 3) Pantry Client & Families. Participants in this study were community stakeholders, food pantry directors, staff/volunteers and food pantry clients. Pantry food access/availability including pantry food quality and quantity, household food security and pantry client dietary intake are dependent variables. Discussion: The results of this study will provide a framework for utilizing a multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention with the purpose of improving food security in rural, high poverty communities. Additionally, the results of this study will yield evidence-based best practices and tools for both FPC development and the transition to a guided-client choice model of distribution in food pantries. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03566095. Retrospectively registered on June, 21, 2018.
KW - Community coaching
KW - Community development
KW - Food access
KW - Food security
KW - Nutrition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85052108138&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85052108138&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12889-018-5957-9
DO - 10.1186/s12889-018-5957-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 30139336
AN - SCOPUS:85052108138
SN - 1471-2458
VL - 18
JO - BMC Public Health
JF - BMC Public Health
IS - 1
M1 - 1055
ER -