142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

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Do Right!® Healthy Corner Store Network: An innovative approach to equip corner stores within underserved communities with greater access to and education of healthy, affordable foods

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 : 4:50 PM - 5:10 PM

Renee Mahaffey Harris , The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Hana Shaaban , The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Rhonda Lindsey , The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Shakeyrah Elmore , The Center for Closing the Health Gap in Greater Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
To address persistent health disparities among underserved populations, community organizations must implement innovative prevention efforts. "Food deserts" consist of areas that lack access to healthy, affordable food options, typically within walking distance—characteristically in the form of a supermarket.  The Center created the Do Right!® Healthy Corner Store Network (HCSN) in response to a citywide task force initiative to provide greater access to and education about healthy foods in low income communities.  The Do Right!® HCSN is a replica of the Philadelphia Food Trust Model coupled with unique components of nutrition education; its mission is to increase availability of, access to, and education of healthy foods within the HCSN.  This session will describe key elements of the HCSN, including education, training, and resources for the HCSN, as well as the partnership with and implementation of the community educational reward system within local schools, known as the Stamp Book.  Currently, community education efforts are underway in six stores and three schools in four Cincinnati neighborhoods.   Nutrition and wellness classes are integrated within the school’s standard core 4-6th grade courses and allow students to taste healthy foods and learn how to prepare healthy meals—equipping them with skills necessary to make healthier choices.  Families participating in the Stamp Book program earn stamps for purchasing healthy foods within the HCSN and for participating in school-wide educational efforts; completed Stamp Books are eligible for healthy incentives.  Efforts are currently underway to expand the HCSN to 36 stores in 10 neighborhoods by the end of 2014.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify strategies to engage and empower community advocates in community-based interventions that promote and encourage health lifestyle changes. Evaluate the significance of measurable outcomes resulting from a multidisciplinary physical activity, nutrition, and wellness intervention tailored by community members in a predominantly African-American community. Describe critical components of developing a community-based program in underserved and disadvantaged communities. Describe challenges and opportunities for engaging community members in policy work. Identify health disparities among the African American population. Identify ways to engage retailers in providing healthy options in corner store.

Keyword(s): Food Security, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Executive Director at The Center and I oversee all programs and projects.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.