Mapping the Food Environment to Inform Community Health Intervention Strategies: A Community-University Partnership

Multifaceted causes and consequences of food insecurity require collaborative work across multiple disciplines and with community partners. We seek a means of evaluating and selecting sustainable interventions that may be tested to improve food security and community health.

Our specific aims include: 1.) Developing a comprehensive, user-friendly food access data hub to facilitate collaboration for food mapping-related research to maximize community benefit, 2.) Integrating secondary and primary data sets related to food security, food access, food production, health, community assets, sociodemographic variables, and food affordability, 3.) Integrating mapping and modeling methodologies, and testing and improving food environment indicators for use in evaluating policy interventions. 

We have worked for 2 years to develop and administer a food mapping survey coupled with secondary data that will be used to inform policymakers and community-level interventions related to food access, food security, food production, and dietary health consequences.  We have used a variety of engagement methods, especially prioritizing potential impact and community agency needs.  Our unique 25-member group includes nonprofit leaders of an urban farm, a foodbank serving a 20-county area, and a food advocacy agency; leaders from the health department and a healthy corner store initiative; mapping experts from an urban and regional analysis center and from a specialized center for the study of race and ethnicity; as well as faculty and students from seven colleges.  

This is an exciting project that showcases interdisciplinary community-university partnerships that address challenging contemporary issues that focus on community needs.