Community Spotlight
Student-Run Farmers' Market Offers Creative Solution to Childhood Obesity
By Pam Lowney
|
Second-year medical student Annie Chao likes to keep things positive – even when tackling an issue as difficult as childhood obesity. So when she heard about a new farmers’ market project to promote healthful eating, she jumped at the chance to get involved.
“I was drawn to the idea because instead of focusing on the cause of the problem such as the prevalence of vending machines in schools or the low price of fast food, it offered a positive alternative,” she says. Chao is pursuing the community health track in the School of Medicine’s new curriculum.
Held in San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza from May to September, the "Salud Sundays" farmers’ market brought fresh fruits and vegetables to the mainly Hispanic and Vietnamese families in the surrounding Alum Rock neighborhood, an area underserved by chain supermarkets. Because large stores tend to avoid poor urban communities, says Chao, the people who live there are often forced to rely on fast food or small corner marts with little or no fresh produce.
Chao worked with the market’s sponsor, the Healthy Santa Clara County Collaborative, to develop a health fair component. An information booth, strategically placed by the market’s entrance, provided information on diabetes, high cholesterol and other diet-related diseases. Each week a different health organization offered preventive services ranging from dental care to cholesterol screening.
As part of a school-funded research project, Chaos is now helping evaluate the overall effectiveness of the market. Comparing results from surveys distributed at government assistance centers in the area, Chao hopes to assess whether the market’s presence increased the intake of fresh produce by local residents as well as their overall health awareness. She will share her finding with the Healthy Santa Clara County Collaborative.
Chao says the project gave her insight into the challenges of community work. “It is very different from lab-based research because it takes place in the real world where you have less control over the parameters of your project,” she says. “It requires a lot of communication, multitasking and flexibility. You learn not worry if things do not turn out as you expect.”
Despite the occasional frustration, Chao has no regrets about her efforts in community health. “There is a stereotype that public health work is vague and fuzzy,” says Chao. “But for me, the long-term returns are more meaningful than those of lab-based work. You’re able to have a direct impact on people’s lives.”
Related site:
MD Program: Community Health & Public Service Scholarly Track
Posted: 9/23/04
