Community engagement enables co-creation of change-making research with people who are traditionally “hard to reach,” according to food and health researchers at the University of Reading.
Residents of the Whitley suburb of Reading co-designed a fruit and veg voucher scheme, paired with community center–based stalls. This led to positive change, including in health and well-being outcomes.
“We know that imposing solutions on disadvantaged groups rarely brings lasting change,” says Professor Carol Wagstaff, who led the study. “Instead, we have ensured that residents’ voices are heard and acted upon, as well as enabling them to imagine what healthy eating might look like in their community.”
Obesity and diet-related illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are a leading cause of disability and premature deaths in the U.K., the authors highlight. However, interventions that don’t address wider structural aspects of access to a healthy diet are likely to quickly fail.
“Affordability is by far the most common reason that people struggle to eat the recommended 5-a-day,” Professor Wagstaff said. “We have shown that by building community cohesion, a sense of togetherness, people engage in collective action to pursue a common goal of lasting food and health equity.”