Health Promotion Research

Food insecurity and lack of safe and affordable food can result in illnesses such as poor nutrition, chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and childhood development problems. There are 13.5 million people in the US who have limited access to supermarkets and large grocery stores, which means they don’t have good access to fresh and healthy foods (Young et al., 2023). This is a food security assessment of the low-income and vulnerable families of Staten Island, NY. This will be a comprehensive evaluation to identify existing food security in the community and what factors – and what attributes – are responsible for this. SMART goals will also be created in order to provide a framework for developing a future health promotion educational intervention.

Competency-Based Analysis of Food Insecurity

Food security is lacking among all ages, including children, senior citizens, and ethnic minorities, and among the unemployed. There are 498,212 residents in Staten Island (also referred to as Richmond County), and the community’s poverty rate is 11.1% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024). There are Staten Island residents who have access to essentials that provide them with a means to meet their basic needs, while there are other Staten Island residents who live in poverty and are unable to provide themselves with regular, healthy foods. Food insecurity is not only a sign of economic hardship, but it also often leads to health problems and adverse health outcomes, such as increased risk for chronic diseases, mental health disorders, and premature mortality (Levy & Perez-Velazco, 2025). Food-insecure people tend to prefer “easy” foods that are both low in nutritional content and high in calories and consume fewer high-protein, nutritious foods. A healthier society should make a concerted effort to encourage and promote healthier lifestyles through food education, by increasing access to food assistance programs, and by educating the consumer about resources within the community that can help them become healthier.

• Points of Uncertainty and Underlying Assumptions

There are some assumptions about food insecurity. One assumption is that a grocery store is available to residents in its neighborhood in a sufficient fashion for nutrition access to be available. People who do need assistance will take up government redistribution programs and other community services, an often assumed and even hoped-for process. Persons who are not fond of these programs may not realize that there are some people who do not use these programs at all because they are embarrassed, don’t know about the program, have no convenient transportation, language barriers, or doubts about their qualifications to access the resources used by the program. Accordingly, solutions need to be person- and community-centered, with interventions that are effective in shifting individual behaviors in the community and in changing policies that help minimize food insecurity (Young et al., 2023). Much uncertainty still exists on how widespread the problem of food insecurity is throughout the region. Furthermore, the level of food insecurity can influence the employment opportunities for people, along with family situations, housing prices, and inflation.

Characteristics of the Target Community for Food Insecurity Prevention

This health promotion project is designed for low-income families, unemployed adult population, older adults on fixed incomes, and families with kids in the Staten Island region. The community is a diverse mix of White (54%), Black (8%), Hispanic (20%), Asian (14%), and other people (1%), living in suburban-style housing (Supervision of Migratory x Population in Suburban x U.S. Census Bureau, 2024). Moreover, many people in the community use community services like hospitals, schools, and pharmacies to access vital services. The windshield survey revealed different options for transportation, including car, bus, Staten Island Railway, and ferry, but for many societies, the means of transportation will pose a problem in having affordable food. Culturally, shared values, beliefs, and attitudes often stem from a group’s dietary choices, setting, and surroundings (Jayasinghe et al., 2025), all of which might shape their dietary patterns. Food purchasing and nutrition will continue to be impacted by employment and education, income, and cultural eating behavior. A community-based education intervention will be delivered to the target adults whose responsibility it is to buy the food and cook it for the household members.

• Relevance to the Larger Target Community

While this report focuses on Staten Island, it should be noted that food insecurity is a related issue across all points of NYC, and Food Insecurity on a broader U.S. scale is equally large. If there is ready access to sufficient healthy food, there is economic inequality, and there is inflation – as these impact an entire country. The policies and approaches that were developed to reduce Staten Island’s food insecurity can be implemented in other communities in cities and suburbs where food insecurity exists. The theory of community-based participatory (CBP) intervention implies that involving community members as partners in the interventions to decrease health disparities is effective in various ways (Doustmohammadian et al. 2022). Community-based nutrition education programs and opportunities to use partnerships with food banks, as well as getting other communities to be more aware of the services that are available, can be models for other communities in developing a program or activity to address food insecurity.

Importance of Addressing Food Insecurity in Health Promotion

The issue of food insecurity is significant in the field of health promotion, as adequate nutrition is crucial in maintaining the health of people. People who are food insecure are at an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Health Promotion activities can raise awareness about resources; healthy eating; and how to budget for food purchases; programs that can help them get food if they are in need; and chronic disease management. Several fledgling programs could be considered as potential opportunities to integrate health care and food systems, including produce-prescription programs and food-as-medicine interventions (Levy & Perez-Velazco, 2025). This will aid in addressing food insecurity by contributing to the reduction of health disparities and promoting the health of communities.

• Factors Contributing to Food Insecurity and Health Disparities

The experience of food insecurity can be influenced in many ways, such as social and economic, cultural, and environmental factors. One of the major causes of food insecurity is that many people and families have financial hardships, or work for lower-wage jobs, as a result of having to pay high rents or mortgages and being unable to afford to go grocery shopping or to buy healthy food (Drewnowski, 2022). The other point about food insecurity is that there are insights from so many cultural influences to be included. One reason people may not have access to grocery stores with healthy, affordable food is transportation limitations.

Sociograms illustrate the relationships across community facets, including family, school, health care, social services, community groups, and food stores. Family structures reinforce the food purchasing and food preparation behaviors of families. Schools offer students healthy choices to eat, and health care providers help identify families and provide information to support making food available to families having food security challenges. To develop an effective drug program in this community, individuals in this community must understand their relationships with others.

• The Need for Improved Access to Prevention and Support Services

Although the community has food assistance programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), food banks, and community meal programs, there is not a good knowledge base within the community about the eligibility for these programs or how to apply for them. SNAP can simultaneously have an impact on both childhood food insecurity and high rates of overweight and obesity and diet-related disease (Mande & Flaherty, 2022). Workshops can bring health education to people, making them aware of food assistance resources, what they can eat for a healthy meal, putting food on a budget, and how to get help accessing food assistance programs. Educating and giving families experience to empower them will give them a better chance to consume more food (thus more nutrition) and reduce the dangers of poor health due to food insecurity.

SMART Goals for Food Insecurity Promotion in the Community

Successful food insecurity education programs will establish measurable indicators of competency and self-efficacy for program participants, which clearly demonstrate a behavior change that resulted from the program. Service Learning objectives could include, for example, students in the service learning program developing SMART goals to determine the learning that resulted from their involvement in the food security education program.

Goal 1: Increase Knowledge of Food Insecurity Resources

• Specific: Participants will be introduced to local food assistance programs within their communities, community meal programs, as well as who is eligible and who is not for participation in SNAP.
• Measurable: 85% of participants will be able to name three community food resources as a result of education on a post-education measurement.
• Attainable: Participants will receive a resource guide about finding and using the different food assistance programs offered in their communities. Participants will also receive contact details for extra support if they would like to find out where to get their food support.
• Responsive: The more available resources that food-insecure people have, the more likely food will be available to them.
• Time-bound: Participants who are part of the educational program will present at least three sources of food assistance in their local communities at the end of the 2-week educational course.

Goal 2: Increase Skills in Meal Planning

• Specific: Participants will be able to create a meal plan that is both cost and nutrient efficient.
• Targeted: By the completion of this session, participants will be able to develop a healthy one-week meal plan; at least 80% of the participants will develop a meal plan.
• Achievable: Hands-on examples will be used for cooking demonstrations and meal planning experiences in the program.
• Relevant: Improved meal planning will provide improved eating habits and nutrition.

By the end of the 2 wks, participants will have developed a “Healthy/Substantial 1 week food plan” including foods that are healthy as well as affordable!.

Goal 3. Build confidence when finding healthy foods

• Specific: Participants will be more confident in skills to find inexpensive healthy food and use local resources to find healthy foods.
• Measurable – pre/post program testing will reflect an increase in level of confidence with at least 90% of participants.
• Attainable: Participants will have access to learning resources, group discussion, and real-life examples to assist them in understanding how to identify low-cost healthy foods and local resources.
• Relevant – When building confidence of participants, it may affect their food choices and willingness to ask for help with food choices.

Provide access to food that is healthy, and participants will report that they are more confident in finding healthy food and accessing feeder program resources by the end of the two-week education session.

Conclusion

Food insecurity is a major issue among many Staten Islanders and very common among low-income individuals, elders, and families with children. Many factors can play a role in food insecurity, including factors related to socio-economic status (SES), health inequity, lack of knowledge regarding food-related community resources, and access to healthy foods. These challenges often overlap, making it difficult for individuals to find lasting solutions on their own. Food insecurity can lead to increased rates of chronic disease, poor mental health, and developmental delays. Consequently, subsequent educational sessions in this program will focus on building a better understanding of the community, increasing food security, and promoting a healthy lifestyle, as reflected in this program’s SMART goals.