132 Annual Meeting Logo - Go to APHA Meeting Page  
APHA Logo - Go to APHA Home Page

Health on the Menu: A partnership approach to increasing the availability of healthy foods in Detroit-area restaurants

Crystal L. Meyer, MPH1, Allison Carey-Bonilla, MPH1, Edith C. Kieffer, PhD2, Paris Watson1, Rochelle Hurst3, Quentin Moore4, and Amy Schulz, PhD5. (1) School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 South University, Room 3751, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, (734) 647-1471, meyercl@umich.edu, (2) School of Social Work, Univeristy of Michigan, 1080 South University, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, (3) Michigan Department of Community Health, Cardiovascular Disease & Nutrition Section, 3423 N. MLK Jr. Blvd, Lansing, MI 48909, (4) Michigan Public Health Institute, 2438 Woodlake Circle #240, Okemos, MI 48864, (5) Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, 5134 SPH II, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Promoting Healthy Eating in Detroit (PHED) is a community-based participatory research project that seeks to develop and sustain supportive community environments and policies aimed at increasing access to, and use of, healthy foods (e.g., fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, and whole grain products) by residents of Eastside and Southwest Detroit. As a part of PHED’s aim to increase access to healthy foods, PHED is adapting a Health on the Menu Program that is modeled on a Michigan state-initiated project of the same name. PHED staff, along with state, local and community partners are developing the program, which will assist independent restaurants in Eastside and Southwest Detroit in developing and marketing healthy menu selections that are tailored to community tastes, but prepared in a healthy manner. Restaurant owners, kitchen staff, waitstaff, and caterers will be recruited from both communities to participate in a nutrition education workshop, which will provide guidance on recipe modification and substitution techniques, education of restaurant personnel on cooking healthier, and marketing strategies. Participating restaurants will receive nutrition consultation and a variety of materials to assist them in marketing, advertising, and selling healthful menu items. A case study design will be used to address both process and outcome evaluation questions.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Food and Nutrition Poster I: The Obesigenic Environment

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA