Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effect On Incorporating Fresh Fruits And Vegetables Into An Emergency Food Box Program In Rural Appalachia Kentucky, Zixuan Li

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

About 1 in 8 Kentuckians experiencing food insecurity. Low-income Appalachian Kentuckians often utilize food assistance programs and community resources to obtain food and they have lack regular access to fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables. Of concern is nutrition quality and the ability to use food items. The study aimed to explore if and how low-income Appalachian Kentuckians living in a food desert utilized their standard food pantry box as well as a supplemental box of free fresh produce. The study was done through distribution of supplemental fruit and vegetable boxes along with their emergency food box seven different times …

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …