# A multilevel community engaged intervention to build a sustainable and equitable food economy with food is medicine offerings in the Mississippi Delta to improve minority health and reduce disparities

> **NIH NIH R01** · TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON · 2022 · $1,374,111

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 
The goal of this project is to test whether a multi-level, community-engaged intervention to build a sustainable 
food economy with food-is-medicine programs in the Mississippi Delta can improve minority health and reduce 
health disparities. Our central hypothesis is that an intervention developed with active community engagement 
to increase local production and distribution of fruits and vegetables (FV), will increase FV consumption and 
decrease body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and health disparities among participating adults 
compared to control participants over a 12-month study period. 
Aim 1: To design a novel intervention that bolsters the local food economy and delivers food-is-medicine 
programming to a minority population within communities with persistent disadvantage. Using the 
principles and processes of community-engaged research, we will unite community partners and members of 
Bolivar, Washington, and Sunflower Counties in a local multi-sector Delta Food Policy Council (FPC). The FPC 
will design and implement a multi-level intervention to provide appropriate nutrition, focusing on locally grown 
FV, to build a sustainable food economy and improve health outcomes. 
Aim 2: To test whether the novel intervention reduces health disparities by improving outcomes related 
to obesity and diabetes among a rural minority population. We will work collaboratively with the FPC to 
implement and evaluate a multi-level, community-engaged, randomized controlled intervention targeting 300 
adults (>25 y) with food insecurity, BMI >25, and HbA1c)>5.7-8.5%. Outcome measures are (*primary): 
Individual-level: increase F+V consumption*; decrease obesity (BMI)*, diabetes risk (HbA1c)*, and systolic 
blood pressure 
Community-level: increase production and distribution of FV; institute access to produce and decrease food 
insecurity; and decrease health care utilization 
Aim 3: Generate a replicable and scalable food economy model to reduce obesity and improve diabetes. 
The model will focus on adults living in areas with disadvantage and make sustainable food-is-medicine policy 
recommendations related to SNAP, Medicare/Medicaid and the Farm Bill to state and federal legislatures. 
Expected impact: Community-centered efforts that build vital local food economies to support food-is-medicine 
programming represent a major innovation that integrates nutrition into the healthcare system and social safety 
net to ameliorate disease, mitigate disparities, and save billions of dollars in health care expenditures annually.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10597864
- **Project number:** 1R01MD018208-01
- **Recipient organization:** TUFTS UNIVERSITY BOSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTINA D ECONOMOS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,374,111
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-23 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10597864

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10597864, A multilevel community engaged intervention to build a sustainable and equitable food economy with food is medicine offerings in the Mississippi Delta to improve minority health and reduce disparities (1R01MD018208-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10597864. Licensed CC0.

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