Local Women Receive Fresh Produce

31 January 2012
By Gina Edwards

With support from the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Fund (PURF),
Ariana Fiorita is studying the effectiveness of an intervention she conducted to
reduce the food insecurity of women in Appalachia.

Her project, which began last December, delivered fresh produce to 15
women with families in the area at least twice a month, January through April. It
also provided them with information and instruction about how to prepare the food
and where to buy it in the future. Now, six months after the food delivery has
ceased, Ariana will interview the women to ascertain the effectiveness of the project.

“I’m looking to see if they’re still using the techniques they have learned, like
going to the farmers’ market and using the provided cookbooks,” Fiorita said.

The health and nutrition of women specifically became the focus of the
project because they are the most vulnerable, often providing for their family but
not for themselves, she added.

The food supplied by the project was enough for the entire family to
consume. Women took a survey about their health and nutrition knowledge before
and directly after using the food delivery service.

Fiorita became aware of the topic while working with her adviser, Dr. David
Holben, who looks into food security and sustainability in his own research.

While the project began as purely academic, Fiorita would like to see it
implemented in real life.

“If we do find significant results, I’d like to think of ways to make it more
effective or do it again in a larger population,” she said. “That’s a personal goal of
mine.”

PURF funding enabled Fiorita to provide each woman with an incentive for
participating and to attend a nutrition convention to present her research.