Pilot of a Subsidized and Culturally-adapted Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study aims to apply community-engaged methods to refine and implement a culturally adapted systems-level program for improving diet in low income, Chinese American immigrants. Guided by the regular partner engagement, The researchers have organically developed a systems-level program to bring a subsidized community-supported agriculture (CSA) model to the community in a way that is aligned with cultural values, and that includes culturally appropriate produce and nutrition education.

Detailed Description
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This is a single-site proof of concept pilot program that will be evaluated using a pre-post-design. Culturally appropriate produce will be provided in subsidized weekly boxes for 20 weeks to community members at Brooklyn Grange Farm in Sunset Park at a fee of $5, which was determined to be acceptable by community members. Participants that receive SNAP benefits can use their EBT card to cover their $5. Education will be offered in the form of nutrition education, cooking tutorials, and farming information provided by staff at Brooklyn Grange

Official Title
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A Pilot Proof of Concept Study of a Subsidized and Culturally-adapted Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program for the Chinese American Community of Brooklyn, NY

Conditions
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Diet Habit

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: CSA model


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Adult age 18 years and over Currently living in Brooklyn Willing and able to provide consent Exclusion Criteria: • Unable to complete the baseline survey in English, Mandarin, or Cantonese

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Study Group<br>Low-income Chinese American immigrant families with a focus on adults 18+ years in Brooklyn will participate in a culturally adapted systems -level program for improving diet. | Other: CSA model<br>* Community-supported agriculture (CSA) involves a community of individuals who support a farm and in return receive distributions of the farm's produce throughout the growing season. Culturally appropriate produce will be provided in subsidized weekly boxes for 20 weeks to community members at Brooklyn Grange Farm in Sunset Park at a fee of $5, which was determined to be acceptable by community members. Participants that receive SNAP benefits can use their EBT card to cover their $5. Education will be offered in the form of nutrition education, cooking tutorials, and farming information provided by staff at Brooklyn Grange.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Number of Different Vegetables Consumed | Diet quality will be self-reported via a follow-up survey. The participant is presented with a list of 29 different vegetables - he/she is asked to select all of the vegetables in the list that was consumed in the past month | Baseline, Week 20 | 
| Change in Diet Quality - Frequency | Diet quality will be self-reported via a follow-up survey. Frequency (how often vegetables were consumed in the past month) is reported on a Likert scale: 1 = once a month, 2 = two or three times a month, 3 = once a week, 4 = more than once a week. | Baseline, Week 20 | 
| Change in Diet Quality - Quantity of Serving | Diet quality will be self-reported via a follow-up survey. Quantity of Serving (how much is consumed at a time) is reported on a Likert Scale: 1 = less than ¼ cup, 2 = ¼ to ½ cup, and 3 = more than ½ cup. | Baseline, Week 20 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in Food Insecurity Score | Food insecurity will be self-reported via a follow-up survey. The survey consists of 2 questions, reported on a Likert scale: 1 = often true, 2 = sometimes true, 3 = never true. The total range of score is 2-6; the higher the score, the lesser the insecurity. | Baseline, Week 20 | 
| Change in Social Cohesion Score | Social cohesion will be self-reported via a follow-up survey. The survey consists of 3 questions, reported on a Likert scale: 0 = often, 1 = some of the time, 2 = hardly ever, 3 = never. The total score range is 0-9; the higher the score, the greater the sense of social cohesion. | Baseline, Week 20 |