@article{6a92d0467f294dad8223157178b5bbdd,
title = "Extending Cancer Prevention to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Consumption",
abstract = "Consuming a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables is critical for preventing cancer and cancer-related disparities. Food systems approaches that increase spatial-temporal, economic, and social access to fruits and vegetables may ultimately result in improved consumption patterns among Americans. Engaging the triad of Cooperative Extension Services, public health systems, and community health centers may yield maximal public health benefits from food systems interventions. These entities have a mutual interest in promoting health equity and community and economic vitality that provides common ground to (a) implement solutions through the dissemination of evidence-based programs and (b) share resources to foster grassroots support for sustained change. Working together, these systems have an unprecedented opportunity to build on their common ground to implement, evaluate, and disseminate evidence-based food systems interventions in communities and with populations experiencing disparate risk for cancer and cancer-related diseases.",
keywords = "Cancer prevention, Fruit consumption, Health equity, Vegetable consumption",
author = "Freedman, {Darcy A.} and Ninfa Pe{\~n}a-Purcell and Friedman, {Daniela B.} and Marcia Ory and Susan Flocke and Barni, {Marie T.} and H{\'e}bert, {James R.}",
note = "Funding Information: Exchanges between CES, the CHC, and PHS occurred in mutually beneficial ways throughout the RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market. The director of the statewide South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Program, for instance, provided a keynote address about the science of FV consumption and cancer prevention at a RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market celebration event for “National Farmers{\textquoteright} Market Week.” This information provided evidence to guide future educational services offered by a CES agent working with many of the RCFS farmer-vendors. The CHC created a farmers{\textquoteright} market produce prescription initiative to incentivize FV purchases made by patients completing diabetes education, which boosted revenue opportunities for farmers. The state public health department later supported the RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market through the award of a Community Transformation Grant that funded the farmers{\textquoteright} market manager and a food assistance monetary incentive program. CES offered additional support to the RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market manager by inviting her to attend monthly farmers{\textquoteright} association meetings organized by CES; these meetings introduced the market manager to additional farmers interested in becoming vendors at the market and provided critical insights into some of the opportunities and challenges associated with growing FVs. For instance, information gained at one of these meetings during a particularly dry season provided information that influenced a change in the RCFS vendor policy to allow more resale (i.e., foods not grown by the farmer) to be sold at the farmers{\textquoteright} market because locally produced yields were declining. Finally, partnerships between the three facilitated the acquisition of resources to sustain and expand the RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market to serve more low-income consumers and enhance economic opportunity for small-scale farmers. Funding Information: One potential opportunity for supporting triadic collaborations is through engagement in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Education (SNAP-Ed) initiatives supported by the USDA (see http://snap.nal.usda.gov/ ). The Healthy Hunger-FreeKids Act transformed SNAP-Ed into the Nutrition and Obesity Prevention Grant Program with an emphasis on food systems approaches to address obesity prevention. Beginning in fiscal year 2014, over US$400 million in annual funds were made available to states to consider, select, implement, and evaluate evidence-based interventions that align with SNAP Ed goals including increasing consumption of FVs. Collaborations among CES, PHS, and CHCs will be critical for this success. Funding Information: The Right Choice Fresh Start (RCFS) farmers{\textquoteright} market represents a contemporary example of a food systems approach to improving FV consumption that involved a partnership between PHS, CHC, and CES. The RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market is the core project of the University of South Carolina Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, one of ten networks funded by the CDC. Developing and implementing the RCFS farmers{\textquoteright} market occurred in partnership with a CHC, Family Health Centers, Inc., and two CES systems: South Carolina State University, one of the oldest 1890 land-grant universities serving minority populations, and Clemson University, the 1862 land-grant university in South Carolina. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.",
year = "2014",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1007/s13187-014-0656-4",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "29",
pages = "790--795",
journal = "Journal of Cancer Education",
issn = "0885-8195",
publisher = "Springer Publishing Company",
number = "4",
}