Browsing by Author "Papillon, Carol"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A Multicomponent Initiative to Increase Nutrition Outreach in the East End Neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia
    Yancey, Grace; Misyak, Sarah; Myers, Emily; Papillon, Carol (Virginia Tech, 2024-07-22)
    Access to healthy food is imperative to support the health of individuals and communities. However, structural inequities have resulted in reduced food access and higher rates of chronic disease in low-income communities. In the East End of Richmond, Virginia, a historically redlined area of the city, residents have reduced healthy food access and experience consequent health disparities. Multiple organizations, food pantries, and urban agriculture initiatives are working to mitigate these food access issues. Bon Secours Community Outreach is aiming to implement nutrition programming in the East End that complements these assets and promotes healthy food access. This project aimed to pilot various nutrition outreach approaches, initiate community engagement, and collect feedback from community members to inform future programming. Nutrition outreach initiatives were adapted to three food access sites including a food pantry, grocery store, and a mobile market to engage with East End residents. Feedback was collected to assess residents’ perceptions on healthy eating behaviors and their preferences around nutrition programming. Engagement levels and feedback collection were highest at the grocery store. Participants indicated preferences for receiving nutrition education from media sources, within community-based spaces, and from medical professionals. A pilot nutrition workshop was implemented that included nutrition education and a cooking demonstration. A Bon Secours dietitian and community health worker provided feedback to revise the workshop for future implementation. This project initiated the first step in community engagement and trialing outreach approaches to inform future nutrition programming.
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    Advancing Food as Medicine in the Retail Setting
    Hollis, Sarah (Virginia Tech, 2024)
    Over half of the American population, over 117 million individuals, have at least one or more preventable chronic diseases that are related to poor eating and exercise habits. This includes cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and poor bone health (Schap, 2016). The expansion of Food as Medicine programming in grocery stores is predicted to impact consumer food choices. Food retailers are trailing nutrition-related programs to understand how they can provide solutions to change eating habits (FMI, 2019) as more consumers shift their dietary habits and mindsets to be more focused on how food choices can affect health status. This project aimed to evaluate whether placing nutrition educational materials in ten Food City pharmacies in southwest Virginia and eastern Tennessee would provide consumer guidance in making food choices in the grocery store, specifically for populations looking to follow a low-carbohydrate diet or a heart-healthy diet. A pilot passive quasi-experimental design was created to determine if there was a product lift of the promoted products on the nutrition educational materials. Stores with both the resource racks and bag stuffers at the counters saw a 13.38% increase in carbohydrate-aware items and 1.04% in heart-healthy items. Stores that had bag stuffers only at the pharmacy counters saw a 10.55% increase in carbohydrate-aware items and a -0.11% decrease in heart-healthy items. Comparison stores saw a 11.19% increase in carbohydrate-aware items and a -0.48% decrease in heart-healthy items. This intervention was successful as it provided real world significance in product lift as well as it provided insight into future program development and modifications for future resources.
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    Expansion of SNAP participation at Petersburg Public Library Market
    Amand, Reagen (Virginia Tech, 2024-07-24)
    Accessing healthy foods is a basic right for each individual, but in low-income neighborhoods, access and affordability create a barrier to achieving these needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides financial assistance for qualifying, low-income individuals and families when purchasing groceries. Providing financial assistance alone is not enough to reduce the food access gap for low-income households and neighborhoods. Farmers markets are a source of fresh fruits and vegetables and oftentimes provide incentives for purchasing these products using SNAP benefits such as discounts on fresh produce. This type of program, along with increased community involvement and outreach, has been effective in increasing SNAP participation amongst these markets. Despite the potential that SNAP has on farmers markets participation rates, levels still remain low. Through a comprehensive literature review, research showed financial incentives such as discounts and promotional methods increase the participation of SNAP customers amongst farmers markets. The purpose of this program was to test the efficacy of promotional materials in increasing the awareness of farmers markets and the benefits they provide to SNAP customers in Petersburg, VA. Findings showed no substantial success in overall SNAP redemption as SNAP sales and transactions between May 2023 and 2024 had a -9% change and a +9% change between June 2023 and 2024. This initial investigation provides helpful insight to community organizations looking to collaborate with farmer's markets to increase SNAP participation rates. Moving forward, continued collaboration between stakeholders will be essential to sustain motivation and determination when aiming to increase accessibility and affordability of healthy behaviors, such as purchasing and consuming fruits and vegetables.
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    Implementation of an Intuitive Eating Inspired Meal Planning Education Program in a Private Practice Setting
    Bryski, Hailey; Volpe, Stella; Myers, Emily; Papillon, Carol (Virginia Tech, 2024-08-14)
    It is common for adults to struggle with eating healthfully whether it is due to busy schedules, budget constraints, or lack of nutrition knowledge. Diet quality is extremely important because it plays a key role in disease prevention and overall quality of life. Clients of a registered dietitian’s private practice located in Blacksburg, Virginia have vocalized a desire to participate in healthier eating habits but feel unprepared to achieve their goals. A needs assessment distributed to individuals in the New River Valley area revealed that their most common barriers to eating healthfully included: lack of time, budget constraints, and absence of easy-to-prepare recipes that meet taste preferences. To address these needs, a live webinar educational program on meal planning and preparation was developed. The pilot program taught meal planning strategies through the lens of intuitive eating, specifically the principles of the satisfaction factor, body respect, and gentle nutrition. The program also covered topics such as food values, component cooking, the Rule of Three, and creating a supportive kitchen environment. Four out of the 11 program participants completed a post-session evaluation survey using a five-point Likert scale. Respondents felt that the topics covered were relevant to their concerns and they expressed an interest in learning more about intuitive eating. Lower scores illustrated that they did not feel as if they obtained a better understanding of certain concepts including component cooking and intuitive eating. Results revealed preliminary efficacy in the program’s outline and foundation, and indications for revisions to meet the program’s goals more effectively. Future program initiatives should elaborate on introduced topics to better educate the target population.