Thinking Locally about Food Insecurity: Community-Level Research on Food and Nutrition Access

Food insecurity is a public health emergency in the United States and is linked with many adverse health outcomes for children and adults. In Durham, North Carolina, one in 10 families report that it is often or sometimes true that they skip meals because they do not have enough money to buy food. This rate is significantly higher for Black and Hispanic households. Despite federal, state and local investments, as well as the efforts of Durham’s food security network of pantries and distributions, food insecurity persists in Durham.

Organized by students who are working on the Duke Bass Connections project, Tracing the Roots of Nutrition Access, Implementation and Policy, this panel brings together individuals with experience working on local initiatives to address food and nutrition insecurity in Durham through clinical and community organizations. Panelists will discuss what it means to address food security through research, and how pursuing community-based participatory research and ensuring equitable access to services for Durham residents are both necessary and challenging to achieve.