1 Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time MD4Assgn2 Reynolds K. Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time K. Reynolds (student name) Example of Health Promotion Proposal *This proposal is being used as an example by Dr. Allison Litton with permission from the student. 2 Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time Introduction Food Insecurity and Food Deserts According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food insecurity is the inability to access to adequate food for an active and healthy life (Camp, 2015). Camp (2015) goes on to suggest that food insecurity has been increasing since 1995 and that in 2011 approximately 15% of all households in America experience food insecurity. The USDA also proposes that food deserts are areas, often located in low income communities, that do not have access to healthy food options due to a lack of full service supermarkets (American Nutrition Association, 2015). Food insecurity and food deserts are increasingly problematic for children and minorities. A research study conducted in 2012 found that between 12% to 15% of Black and Hispanic children elementary aged children experienced food insecurity (Xu, Zhu, & Bresnahan, 2016). Camp (2015) cites that 25.1 % of Black households and 26.2% of Hispanic households’ experience food insecurity. The US Department of Health and Human Services (2014) states that approximately 30 million Americans live food deserts with a large percentage being people of color. Alabamians also face the complications of food insecurity and food deserts. The Alabama Food Bank Association (2016) reports that 19.2% of Alabama’s population or almost 1 million people live with food insecurity. Furthermore, 1.8 million Alabamians live in areas without full service supermarkets (Lang, Koprak, & Treering, 2015). In fact, almost every county in Alabama has difficulty providing access to healthy food options (Lang, Koprak, & 3 Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time Treering, 2015). In Birmingham 40% of the population lives in a food desert and currently there are only 24 full service supermarkets for a population of 212,000 (Change Lab Solution s, 2012). Health Problems Related to Food Insecurity and Food Deserts The impact that food insecurity and food deserts have on public health is unequivocal. Several studies have noted a possible relationship between obesity and food insecurity (Camp, 2015) Camp (2015) also noted that poorly controlled diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are were significantly higher among individuals living with food insecurity. Brown & Brewster (2015) support this idea by hypothesizing that there is a link between food insecurity and sedentary lifestyles, cancer, arthritis, and metabolic syndrome. Ortega et al (2014) posits that the exponential growth of obesity and chronic ...

1. 1
Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time
MD4Assgn2 Reynolds K.
Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time
K. Reynolds (student name)
Example of Health Promotion Proposal
*This proposal is being used as an example by Dr. Allison
Litton with permission from the student.

2. 2
Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time
Introduction
Food Insecurity and Food Deserts
According to the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) food insecurity is the
inability to access to adequate food for an active and healthy
life (Camp, 2015). Camp (2015)
goes on to suggest that food insecurity has been increasing
since 1995 and that in 2011
approximately 15% of all households in America experience
food insecurity. The USDA also
proposes that food deserts are areas, often located in low
income communities, that do not have
access to healthy food options due to a lack of full service
supermarkets (American Nutrition
Association, 2015). Food insecurity and food deserts are
increasingly problematic for children
and minorities. A research study conducted in 2012 found that
between 12% to 15% of Black

3. and Hispanic children elementary aged children experienced
food insecurity (Xu, Zhu, &
Bresnahan, 2016). Camp (2015) cites that 25.1 % of Black
households and 26.2% of Hispanic
households’ experience food insecurity. The US Department of
Health and Human Services
(2014) states that approximately 30 million Americans live food
deserts with a large percentage
being people of color.
Alabamians also face the complications of food insecurity and
food deserts. The
Alabama Food Bank Association (2016) reports that 19.2% of
Alabama’s population or almost 1
million people live with food insecurity. Furthermore, 1.8
million Alabamians live in areas
without full service supermarkets (Lang, Koprak, & Treering,
2015). In fact, almost every
county in Alabama has difficulty providing access to healthy
food options (Lang, Koprak, &
3
Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time

4. Treering, 2015). In Birmingham 40% of the population lives in
a food desert and currently there
are only 24 full service supermarkets for a population of
212,000 (Change Lab
Solution
s, 2012).
Health Problems Related to Food Insecurity and Food Deserts
The impact that food insecurity and food deserts have on public
health is unequivocal.
Several studies have noted a possible relationship between
obesity and food insecurity (Camp,
2015) Camp (2015) also noted that poorly controlled diabetes,
hypertension, and heart disease
are were significantly higher among individuals living with
food insecurity. Brown & Brewster
(2015) support this idea by hypothesizing that there is a link
between food insecurity and

5. sedentary lifestyles, cancer, arthritis, and metabolic syndrome.
Ortega et al (2014) posits that the
exponential growth of obesity and chronic illnesses can be
traced to the insufficient intake of
healthy foods that occurs within food deserts.
Alabamians face even higher rates of obesity and chronic
disease. Nationwide the rate
for obesity is 68% and the rate for diabetes is 6% however, 75%
of the residents in Birmingham
have been diagnosed as overweight or obese and approximately
11% have been diagnosed with
diabetes (Lang, Koprak, & Treering, 2015). The Alabama
Department of Health (2015) states
the following statistics:
s top eight
obese states

6. -2012 more than 35,919 Alabamians died from
heart disease
deaths in 2010-2012
-2010 Alabama had the highest rate of stroke
incidents in the nation
4
Improving Community Health: One Food Desert at a Time
Much current research supports the idea that making healthy
food available in food deserts is a
strategy that will help citizens to make better food choices thus
improving health outcomes
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). They go on
to state that having access to

7. full service supermarkets increases fruit and vegetable
consumption and can possibly lower the
prevalence of obesity for adults. The Alabama Department of
Public Health (ADPH) (2015)
cites that 24.3% of adults in Alabama eat vegetables less than
once daily and 43.8 % eat fruit less
than once daily. Increasing access to healthy food options
within food deserts will improve the
health outcomes of Alabamians and help to alleviate obesity and
chronic diseases (The Food
Trust, 2015).
The Program Initiative
The South Park Invests in Fresh Foods (SPIFF) intervention will
work collaboratively
with the Urban Food Project to provide access to healthy food
choices to the residents in the

8. West End Area of Birmingham, Alabama. The Urban Food
Project, an economic development
organization located in Birmingham, Alabama, believes in
developing creative ways to make
fresh fruits and vegetables available to residents of food
deserts. Their research has shown that
residents shop in stores that are most convenient to them and
providing food in easily accessible
and unconventional venues gives citizens access to healthier
foods (Change Lab