The Bronx's Weight Problem

The United States has rising childhood obesity and schools deal with kids who are picky. Through innovative school gardens and kid taste testing food, entrepreneurs across the nation are getting children to eat vegetables at school and love it.

The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program rewards healthy shopping choices with a dollar-for-dollar instant rebate at participating grocery stores. 74,000 people in 44 of California’s 58 counties benefit from the program.

The Grocery Spot is a free grocery store where residents can access redistributed food from local pantries and for-profit grocery stores that have more than they can sell. The Grocery Spot addresses food waste and access, providing more than 140,000 pounds of free food to more than 600 families each week.

CorpsAfrica gathers volunteers to train community members on how to construct and maintain a kitchen garden, full of a variety of vegetables, to provide families with nutritious food. Volunteers conduct door-to-door education campaigns and offer support to those starting their gardens. As of May 2020, the organization had helped create 760 kitchen gardens in an effort to fight malnutrition-related diseases and boost food security in the region.

The Resource Connect program began in 2019 and works to connect families with children in need with necessary resources like food, diapers, and school supplies. The point is to address the factors outside the doctor’s office that affect children’s health. In the three years since it opened, Resource Connect has helped 4,235 patients get social services.

Fresh Prescription is a Detroit-based program that creates a mechanism for doctors to prescribe healthy food and fresh produce instead of medications to low-income patients, pregnant women, and people with young children. The program provides patients with a card where they can spend money on fresh fruits and vegetables from local food vendors, bridging the gap between good nutrition and good health.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center geriatrician Dr. John Batsis has obtained a $796,500 grant to develop a home-based system of helping obese seniors lose weight, build muscle, and improve their strength using technology, video conferencing and personal coaching.

The 'food desert' term is a hot buzzword that suggests lack of access. Research on obesity and food availability in poor areas suggests that access must be considered, but only alongside additional factors like price, taste and education.

Common Pantry provides assistance to those facing food insecurity, and recently opened a new facility to offer housing information and assistance with job searches, government benefits, health care and other services. The Pantry also started a nutrition program, teaching people about the science between food and health, as well as how to cook healthy meals at home.

InSHAPE provides access to tailored health and fitness programs for people living with serious mental illnesses, helping them quit drinking and smoking, learn about nutrition and build a sense of community through gym memberships and workout groups. InSHAPE has been operating for 20 years, and studies show 60% of participants have clinically significant improvements in their physical health after a year in the program.