TriHealth, Cincinnati, OH The Effect of a Mobile Produce Market on Dietary Habits in Two Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods

E Browning; S Bdeir; S Iloka; J Martin; L Hussain; N Gandhi; E Beiter; S Zitelli; B Putnam; S Gordon; E Hennen; C Morrison; B Williams; S Johnson; D Dhanraj

Article Figures & Data

Tables

PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN – The Effect of a Mobile Produce Market on Dietary Habits in a Low-Income Urban Neighborhood

Vision Statement	Our vision is to develop a sustainable process for addressing food disparities in our community and making a healthy diet a consistent part of medical care. We are developing a culture in which GME is leading the path toward improving healthcare disparities within the TriHealth community. We hope to set an example of stewardship in addressing our community’s healthcare needs. We envision equipping medical trainees with tools to effect change in the communities in which they will practice.
Team Objectives	The primary purpose of this project was to measure the impact of the mobile food market among Samaritan Faculty Medical Center and Obstetrics Clinic and Bethesda Family Practice patients with the aim to influence their fruit and vegetable consumption. The secondary purpose of the study was to measure the impact of a mobile food market among the residents of low-income communities of Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati with the aim to improve the availability and accessibility of fruits and vegetables.
Success Factors	The most successful part of our work was the engagement with the institution and the staff. People took pride in this work and felt they were contributing to a noble cause. We were initially inspired by the AIAMC work that Main Line Health had done regarding food insecurities and in providing fresh produce at their clinic. Our TriHealth team learned through our CHNA that our resident clinic sites were located in food deserts and that food insecurity was an issue for many of our patients. Our GME team decided to pursue addressing food insecurity for our NI V project. In addition, we are always inspired by our patients and their desire to eat better and lead healthier lives.
Barriers	The largest barrier encountered was that nutrition department reorganization and turnover kept them from engaging in our project. We worked to overcome this challenge by promoting the market through our own residents and staff. We still have work to do on this.
Lessons Learned	The single most important piece of advice to provide another team embarking on a similar initiative is to connect your idea/initiative to a mission/objective of your health system and identify a C-suite champion.