Food Systems, Health, and Well-being

While the importance of food to health and well-being is clear, the specific ways in which food systems contribute to individual and community health are not well understood. This is a complex issue, which requires improving food systems as well as changing mindsets and behaviors of individuals within the food system. Many of the food-related health problems in the US disproportionately affect children, women, ethnic minorities, and low-income people. Addressing these problems requires that we understand more about the processes of institutional change, structural conditions, perceptions, and decision-making processes. The environment itself determines much of what individuals can draw from it. Community norms may dictate who has access to food assistance; engaged communities may provide more food assistance and may make food resources more easily accessible for the poor. In addition, consumer and producer attitudes and interests may conflict over some issues surrounding sustainability and health. The present volume focuses on food production, distribution and consumption, and their effects on individual health. The text is divided into three parts: Part One focuses on the relationship between food systems, families, health, sociodemographic and environmental factors; Part Two explores the relationship between food systems, food advertisements, and community engagement; and Part Three discusses current research and interventions toward a more equitable food system.

Connects the dots between food systems, families, health, and sociodemographic and environmental factors Explores the relationship between food systems, food advertisements, and community engagement Offers research-based interventions toward a more equitable food system

Autorentext

Dr. Virginie Zoumenou, a Professor of Dietetics and Nutrition, Nutrition and Health Programs Director, and Certified Program Evaluator at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, holds a Doctorate in Biochemistry and Nutrition and a PhD in Dietetics and Nutrition. For 18 years, Dr. Zoumenou has provided leadership for several community engagement projects in the Tri-county area of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Her work includes directing the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, the Family and Consumer Sciences, a Childhood Obesity Project among Head Start preschoolers, the Well-Connected Communities initiative, the Extension Collaborative on Immunization Teaching and Engagement projects, and the USDA AMS Project-Evaluating Successes and Challenges of Local Agriculture Market Programs for underinvested farmers, with a focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color producers. Dr. Zoumenou has received numerous honors, including being named one of The Daily Record's Top 100 Women Honorees in Leadership in Maryland.

Inhalt

Part 1: Food systems, health, sociodemographic and environment.- Food Systems, Subsystem, and Components, and Families.- Micro-Community Food Systems and Au-toethnographic Analysis.- Food Insecurity by Race, Ethnicity, & Dis-parities.- Food Insecurity and Safety Net.- Part 2: Food systems, food advertisements, community engagement.- Impact of the Well-Connected Communi-ties - A Culture of Health Initiative- on Fruitland, Maryland Food Systems.- Food Systems Food Advertisement and Food Quality.- Part 3 Applications/Research Papers toward a more Equitable Food System.- Partnerships to Improve Child Diet Quality and Reduce Food Waste in School Nutrition Pro-gram.- Team-Based Research Collaborations as Venues for Novel Health Interventions.- The Impact of the 1890 Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in the Tri-County Area of the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland 2013-2017.- Head Start Preschoolers and Origin of Food: Empowering Preschoolers to Become Healthy Lifestyle Messengers Using Stories, Music, Dance, and Visual Tools.