Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-23-2018
Keywords
Food Assistance, Food Supply, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Midwestern United States, Nutrition Policy, Poverty Areas, Rural Population
Abstract
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.
Publication Title
BMC Public Health
Volume
18
Issue
1055
Format
application/pdf
PMCID
PMC6108119
DOI of Published Version
10.1186/s12889-018-5957-9
Publisher
Springer Nature
Rights
© The Author(s). 2018
Recommended Citation
Stluka, Suzanne; Moore, Lindsay; Eicher-Miller, Heather A; Franzen-Castle, Lisa; Henne, Becky; Mehrle, Donna; Remley, Daniel; and McCormack, Lacey, "Voices for food: Methodologies for Implementing a Multi-state Community-based Intervention in Rural, High Poverty communities." (2018). Health and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications. 72.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/hns_pubs/72
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.