93 - Addressing Obesity and Food Insecurity through a Community Health Center-Based Marketplace: A Case Study

Friday, April 28, 2023

5:15 PM – 7:15 PM ET

Poster Number: 93
Publication Number: 93.15

Alison B. McGrorty-Crotts, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Dresher, PA, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Alison B. McGrorty-Crotts, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Attending Pediatrician
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Dresher, Pennsylvania, United States

Background: The paradoxical crisis of obesity in those with food insecurity is a public health issue needing immediate attention.

Objective: To address this issue, I established a community health center-based “marketplace” at Strawberry Mansion Health Center in Philadelphia, PA. This marketplace provides nutritious food, hygiene, and household basics free-of-charge to the patients of the health center.

Design/Methods: This project entails a utilization review of the products in the marketplace to better understand the needs of the patient population which will dictate future marketplace inventory. From July 2021 to January 2022, monthly inventory was collected and analyzed to determine which products were in greatest demand. Further, general demographics of those utilizing the marketplace were collected.

Results: Although analysis is ongoing, preliminary findings suggest that those utilizing the market most frequently are female, often single mothers, and those who have recently immigrated to the United States. Further, initial findings demonstrate a high demand for household products, most commonly laundry detergent and dish soap, and hygiene products including toothbrushes, toothpaste, and body soap; rarely were food products chosen. This surprising finding calls for further investigation into the needs of this vulnerable community ideally though in-depth interviews.

Conclusion(s):

Although this project started as a way to address obesity in a food insecure population, it has revealed that perhaps the public health crisis in this vulnerable community extends far beyond the need for food.