Community-Wide Efforts to Improve the Consumer Food Environment and Physical Activity Resources in Rural Kentucky

Abstract

Community interventions to improve access to food and physical activity resources can reduce obesity rates and improve obesity-related health outcomes. We describe a Kentucky community project that consisted of collaborating with grocery store managers to improve the consumer food environment and partnering with community members to improve walking trails, bicycle racks, and other physical activity resources. We surveyed 2 random samples of community residents in 6 participating rural counties, 741 in 2016 (year 1) and 1,807 in 2017 (year 2). Fruit and vegetable intake significantly increased from year 1 (mean servings fruits, 2.71; vegetables, 2.54) to year 2 (mean servings fruit, 2.94; vegetables, 2.72). Although moderate physical activity did not change from year 1 to year 2, concern among residents about places to be physically active improved (P = .04). Involving community members in promoting obesity prevention programs may improve dietary intake and alleviate community concern about physical activity.

Improving Consumption and Purchases of Healthier Foods in Retail Environments: A Systematic Review

“…Promotion was the most commonly utilized marketing P and was the focus of 23 studies. Overall, 1 study had mixed effects (positive + negative) [ 16 ], 5 had mixed effects (positive + null) [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], 8 had mixed effects (positive + null + negative) [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], 1 had negative effects [ 30 ], 2 had null effects [ 31 , 32 ], and 13 had positive effects [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ], (see Table 2 ).…”

“…Twenty-three studies used a promotion strategy [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ] as the sole intervention approach. Ten promotion interventions had positive effects [ 34 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ], four reported mixed effects (positive + null) [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], six reported mixed effects (positive + null + negative) [ 22 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ], two reported null effects [ 31 , 32 ], and one reported negative effects [ 30 ].…”

“…Pre-experimental study designs reflected the majority of single-component intervention studies employing promotion [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 27 , 28 , 32 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Five implemented shelf labels [ 19 , 21 , 27 , 28 , 41 ], two used mass media social marketing campaigns [ 32 , 45 ], two implemented podcasts [ 20 , 42 ], one used taste tests [ 43 ], and one used a smartphone app [ 44 ].…”

The High Obesity Program: A Collaboration Between Public Health and Cooperative Extension Services to Address Obesity

“…Carter and colleagues summarized findings from a communitybased obesity reduction and prevention initiative implemented to increase opportunities for physical activity among residents in rural Alabama (5). This initiative worked with 14 community coalitions to implement 101 interventions related to physical activity throughout 16 communities.…”

“…Articles in this collection support the approaches of previous stud- ies on interventions to improve health outcomes, such as the use of tailored community-based participatory approaches and a focus on using PSE when improving the nutrition environment and opportunities for physical activity in communities. The collection provides examples of community interventions that aim to increase the healthfulness of food and access to physical activity, such as improving healthy food options in retail outlets (7), creating opportunities for physical activity through local organizations (5), and collaborating with nontraditional public health partners, such as CES (4-10). The approaches described in this collection may provide organizations and community-based programs ideas for implementation of future work to improve the nutrition and physical activity environments in rural areas with a high prevalence of obesity.…”