Funded Projects

Outgrowing Obesity

Project Year

2022

City & State

Rochester, New York

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Nutrition

Program Description

Problem: Outgrowing Obesity seeks to address both a local and national epidemic disproportionately affecting minority communities: childhood obesity. Research has consistently shown that there is a higher prevalence of obesity in children who belong to racial/ethnic minority or low SES populations. Within the city of Rochester the prevalence of obesity varies considerably by neighborhood starting in childhood and extending into adulthood. Research has consistently shown an association between the degree to which fruits and vegetables are accessible to children and their intake of these foods. Interventions aimed at increasing exposure to produce have been shown to effectively increase children’s produce intake with a sustained effect even after completion of the intervention periods. School gardening programs specifically have been shown to have a positive effect on preference for and intake of vegetables. While we have evidence of the success of school gardening programs, they continue to exist primarily in affluent communities rather than in the spaces that need them the most. Moreover, they are logistically difficult in climates where the peak growing season is summer when children are not in school. Setting: Cameron Community Ministries outlines its mission as “working with neighborhood residents and partners to create a vibrant and thriving community through empowerment and advocacy, while meeting basic needs.” Our goal is bringing equitable fresh food access to families who are at a systemic disadvantage when it comes to providing and maintaining a nutritious diet. Cameron community ministries straddles Lyell-Otis and Edgerton, two neighborhoods in Rochester’s “Crescent of Poverty”. They are an ideal partner for building the kind of organic culture and passion that is needed to create sustainable change in a challenging environment. Number affected: In Monroe county 18 percent or 28,110 children are affected by food insecurity. This percentage increases to 30 percent when looking specifically at eight high-poverty zip codes in the city of Rochester dubbed the “crescent of poverty” where a high concentration of African-Americans and Latinos reside. Goal: Our goal is to empower urban youth to become advocates for access to fresh, healthy foods and break the cycle of nutritional inequity impacting low-income Rochesterians of color. Intervention: Modeled on a Brooklyn-based program Teens for Food Justice, we will provide children with opportunities to engage with nutritious food through hands-on experience with hydroponic gardening systems in schools and community centers. Through hydroponic gardening our youth can learn about environmental sustainability and STEM as they participate in urban farming, about entrepreneurship as they guide how generated produce is distributed, and about health as they learn ways to use this produce. Through exposure to, engagement with and increased knowledge about produce, we can increase children’s willingness to taste and ultimately preference for fresh fruits and vegetables. The success of existing hydroponic gardening programs stems from their advantages over their traditional counterparts. Hydroponics substitute nutrient-rich water for soil allowing for higher produce yield, increased consistency, less frequent maintenance, and less water. As a city with an average of 165 sunny days annually, traditional programs are not able to function year-round in Rochester without significant investment in green houses and similar covered spaces. With built-in grow lights, hydroponic units can be housed in even the darkest of indoor spaces. They can be designed and built to accommodate any sized space and are able to expand vertically through stacking shelf units to maximize surface area. The result is the ability to establish safe indoor, year-round gardens that don’t rely on sunlight or soil and produce consistent results with maintenance required only on a weekly basis. Anticipated outcomes: Increased exposure to fresh produce, increased access to fresh vegetables and increased nutritional knowledge.

Project Goal

Our goal is to empower urban youth to become advocates for access to fresh, healthy foods and break the cycle of nutritional inequity impacting low-income Rochesterians of color.

Project Objective 1

At the completion of the program, 90% of participating teens ages 12-18 years old living in the city of Rochester will be able to describe at least one way in which nutritious foods can make a positive difference in their health as measured by post-intervention surveys.

Project Objective 2

Distribute 400 servings of leafy greens grown by children and teens to families living in the city of Rochester by June 1, 2023.

Project Objective 3

At the program’s completion, at least 50% of participating children ages 6-11 will show a reduction in food neophobia score as measured by the Child Food Neophobia Scale on pre- and post-intervention surveys.

AAP District

District II

Institutional Name

University of Rochester

Contact 1

Alina von Korff