Changing lifestyles to fight obesity in the Delta—a tale of three communities

Agricultural Research, March, 2006 by Jim Core

Residents of the Lower Mississippi River Delta are linked by the muddy waters flowing through the region and by a common culture, including unique music, literature, and food. Though lower Delta states share a rich heritage, they also form one of our nation's most impoverished and poorly nourished regions.

On average, diets in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana include 20 percent fewer vegetables and fruits, less dairy products and more added sugar and calories from fat than the national average. Obesity and chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer, affect people living in Mississippi Delta states more than other U.S. residents.

Congress created the Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (NIRI) to address the health problems of residents in the three states. Before NIRI was established, research on the dietary habits of this population was lacking. Since 1995, researchers at NIRI headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, have been working with their cooperators to find ways to improve the nutrition and health of the men, women, and children of the Delta.

Better Lifestyles Through Science

The Agricultural Research Service is partnered with six universities, state cooperative extension services, rural communities, and other partners in the three-state region. NIRI researchers have conducted and will continue conducting a series of surveys to assess the nutrition and health needs of the Delta region.

Over time, NIRI partners selected three communities in the Delta region for the initial intervention research efforts. NIRI will help guide these communities for the next several years, while tracking changes in their members' nutrition and health. these communities--Marcell, Arkansas, and its surrounding public school district; Franklin Parish in Louisiana; and the city of Hollandale, Mississippi--were chosen because of the high levels of enthusiasm community leaders have shown in the past towards the NIRI program and the dedication community members previously demonstrated towards their ability to work together at improving their overall fitness and health.

"These communities are each unique. They happen to include a school district, a parish, and a city because they each define themselves differently," says Beverly McCabe-Sellers, a nutrition scientist and NIRI's research coordinator. "Not only do they have different geographic boundaries, but they each define 'community' differently."

Part of the problem Delta residents face when searching for healthy food items is the distance they must travel to find full-service grocery stores. A NIRI study of 228 stores chosen at random in the three-state region found that convenience stores outnumber supermarkets and smaller grocery stores. They found most convenience stores have fewer healthy foods and higher prices.

Currently, NIRI communities are enthusiastically implementing intervention research to improve individual residents' health and nutrition. Using the community-based participatory research model as the basis for carrying out the Delta NIRI mission, schools and community organizations in each state are using intervention research to address such concerns as food choices, eating patterns, food insecurity, and maintaining healthy weights.

At the same time, NIRI scientists and communities are analyzing the success of the intervention research and will determine which methods can be used to carry out these programs in other rural communities of the Lower Mississippi Delta.

According to Margaret L. Bogle, a nutritionist and Delta NIRI's executive director, "NIRI partners will share what they've learned about which interventions are successful, while improving the communities' capabilities to carry out these types of programs in the future."

Communities Choose Their Paths

Marvell is one of the three communities chosen for the initial nutrition intervention research, and it serves as a good example of the persistence and dedication that will be required to make this ambitious program successful. Though the school district of Marvell is rural and contains a small town, NIRI was able to find local residents with the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm needed to organize and run the program.

Marvell initiated a walking club in which dozens of residents are now taking part. Participants strap on pedometers and don their club T-shirts each week to get in a good workout with friends. Once a month, the Marvell Walking Club meets over a healthy breakfast. Health professionals are invited to give them health, nutrition, and physical fitness advice.

"Community members say they have more energy, sleep better and feel better, and have less joint pain," says Willie Allen, NIRI's community coordinator and representative from the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

Marvell already had a walking trail, but NIRI and the city recently received a state grant to refurbish it. Adding benches, lights, new pavement, trees, and a water fountain will help create a more appealing environment for exercisers. The city also received a grant to create a farmer's market, which will bring fresh produce closer to residents.