Food Insecurity
Conditions
Brief summary
The objective of this research study is to implement and evaluate a food pantry pilot program to improve access to food and overall diet quality in East Flatbush. This will be achieved through the implementation of a tailored, client-choice food pantry pilot program. The pilot program will specifically offer locally grown produce.
Detailed description
The objective of this study is to implement and evaluate a pilot intervention to improve access to food and overall diet quality in East Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. This will be achieved through implementation of a tailored, client-choice pantry model pilot intervention among up to 100 individuals in which local, fresh produce is provided to participants on a weekly basis for 20 weeks. This project is a partnership between NYU and five community-based organizations (CBOs) and is the result of multi-year formative research with the partners and community. The pantry program will be evaluated using surveys and an objective measure of fruit and vegetable intake (i.e., skin carotenoid assessment via the Veggie Meter) at the start and end of the 20-week program. Through this pre-post evaluation, the investigators will assess the impact of the program on food security (primary outcome) as well as on fruit and vegetable intake and social connection (secondary outcomes). The findings will inform future implementations of client-choice pantry models by community-based organizations across New York City.
Interventions
OTHERProduce box program
Each week during the 20-week study period, participants will pick up a box of fresh vegetables. All produce will be provided to the participants at no cost as part of the client choice pantry program. Participants will take home approximately 6 different types of vegetables each week. Participants will choose which vegetables they want from a variety of options.
Sponsors
NYU Langone Health
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Adult at least 18 years old 2. Able to complete the surveys in English or Haitian Creole 3. Able to travel to Brooklyn Center for Quality Life in East Flatbush weekly to pick up the no-cost fresh vegetables 4. Willing and able to provide informed consent to participate in the study
Exclusion criteria
1\) Those not meeting the above inclusion criteria
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the percent of individuals who report that they are low or very low food security households | Baseline, Week 20 | Outcome measure is assessed through a self-administered survey. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in carotenoid levels | Baseline, Week 20 | The Veggie Meter is a portable electronic device that uses a light scan of the participant's finger to measure carotenoid levels, a validated marker of fruit and vegetable intake across diverse populations. |
| Change in social cohesion | Baseline, Week 20 | Social cohesion will be self-reported using questions about the neighborhood and related social interactions |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTMadison N LeCroy, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMadison N LeCroy, PhD
NYU Langone Health
Outcome results
None listed