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Pass the Fruits and Vegetables! A Community–University–Industry Partnership Promotes Weight Loss in African American Women

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: sweerts{at}unf.edu.

	Abstract

This article describes a community–university–industry partnership to alleviate food insecurity while promoting weight loss. Twenty-one overweight African American women are randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Each receives supermarket gift cards and brief health education monthly for 3 months. The experimental group buys fresh produce only, whereas the control group buys any groceries. Data on weight, body mass index (BMI), waist–hip circumferences, and dietary intake are collected at baseline and months 1 to 3. Nine (43%) have complete data. Quantitative data reveal that the experimental group have lost significantly more weight (–6, +4 lbs), significantly reduced BMI (–1, +0.7), and eat significantly more raw, fresh produce (1.29, 0.15 cups). A focus group held at month 4 is rich with the meanings of participating, eating "well," and forming new habits. A nutrient-dense diet that is calorically balanced is the hallmark of health and well-being and may be related to weight loss in new ways. However, this diet is not always affordable by those most in need of it. The unexpected outcome of a statistical relationship among consuming raw, freshly prepared produce, weight loss, and BMI reduction within 3 months is not altogether explainable. There are obvious benefits, however, to these outcomes that support the continuing study of the phenomenon.

First published on April 3, 2009
Health Promotion Practice 2009, doi:10.1177/1524839908330810


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