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Updated: May 16, 2026
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Concept Development and Use of an Automated Food Intake and Eating Behavior Assessment Method
Published on: February 19, 2021
Changing the conversation about hunger: the process of developing Freshplace
Katie Martin1, Maryellen Shuckerow, Christine O'Rourke
1University of Connecticut.
Summary
Freshplace, an innovative food pantry, improved food security and fruit/vegetable intake compared to traditional pantries. This community-university partnership shows promising results for long-term food security.
Area of Science:
- Community-based participatory research
- Public health interventions
- Food security studies
Background:
- Food insecurity and hunger persist despite existing assistance programs.
- Freshplace, a food pantry collaborative, aims to enhance long-term food security and self-sufficiency in Hartford, CT.
- Founded by Foodshare, Chrysalis Center, and Junior League of Hartford, with partnership from the University of Connecticut.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the community-based participatory research process for developing and evaluating the Freshplace program.
- To assess the impact of the Freshplace intervention on food security, self-sufficiency, and diet quality.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled study comparing 100 Freshplace members with 100 individuals using traditional food pantries.
- Outcome measures included food security, self-sufficiency, and diet quality, analyzed over a 3-month period.
- Independent t tests were used to compare change scores from baseline.
Main Results:
- 233 participants were recruited for the study, which commenced in July 2010.
- Freshplace members demonstrated significantly greater improvements in food security scores (1.6 vs. 0.7 points; p < .01) over 3 months.
- Freshplace members also showed significant increases in fruit and vegetable intake (1.9 vs. -1.4 points; p < .01) compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Freshplace represents a successful community-university partnership involving multiple agencies.
- This is the first food pantry intervention study of its kind, with preliminary results indicating success.
- The program shows promise in addressing food insecurity and improving dietary habits within the community.
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