The Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods (PRCHN) will continue its seminar series Wednesday, Dec. 9, from noon to 1:15 p.m. in the ground floor conference room the in BioEnterprise Building.
The session will cover food-shopping patterns among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in Cleveland.
Darcy Freedman, associate director of PRCHN and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and social work, and Sue Flocke, associate director of PRCHN and associate professor of family medicine and community health, will present findings of a cross-sectional survey. They conducted the survey in summer 2015 with SNAP recipients living within 1 mile of a farmers’ market that examined food-shopping patterns and preferences and perceptions of farmers’ markets.
Findings revealed indicators of success related to improving access to fruits and vegetables and illuminated opportunities for future innovation. The survey is part of the FreshLink study, which is the core research of the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods.
Consuming fruits and vegetables is critical to chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Yet few Americans eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day, with patterns even lower for people with low income. Cleveland represents a natural laboratory for examining the effectiveness of community-wide strategies to improve fruit and vegetable consumption among people receiving SNAP benefits because of widescale implementation of environmental interventions such as farmers’ markets and healthy food incentive programs in the urban core of the city.
The goal of FreshLink (2014-2019) is to increase the reach, adoption and impact of these interventions among people receiving SNAP benefits through a series of studies aimed at improving both the supply of and demand for fresh fruits and vegetables among low-income residents in Cleveland. In their presentation, Freedman and Flock will seek to engage stakeholders across the food production-to-consumption continuum to discuss findings to inform future areas of research in the FreshLink Study.
The PRCHN Seminar Series is open to the public and takes place from noon to 1:15 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month in the PRCHN Ground Floor Conference Room, BioEnterprise Building.
Parking is available and a light lunch is served.
Contact Susan Petrone at smp146@case.edu for more information.