PA22176, SBIR, Phase I, Mercato Thriving Communities Healthy Food Access Initiative

抽象的。长期缺乏健康食物资源的居民患肥胖症的风险更大 和发展与肥胖有关的慢性疾病。这些疾病包括糖尿病、几种癌症， 心血管疾病、高血压和骨关节炎，这些疾病会降低寿命和生活质量， 占每年卫生保健总支出的10%以上。不幸的是，虽然许多团体 我建议改变人们购买食物的地方，以提高人们的能力和动力 购买负担得起的和优质的健康食品的选择有限。我们寻求实现一个“循环”， 容易获得健康的，文化上合适的食物，能够很容易地赎回SNAP和其他 公共/私人食品福利，创造就业机会，杂货店可以继续营业，美元在当地流通 社区.我们的方法将通过现有的电子商务和本地交付平台实现， 为全国数千家独立杂货店提供技术工具， 并与当地一家拥有提供健康食品经验和专业知识的非营利组织合作， 服务不足的人群。目的包括：（一）准备，教育，并使独立杂货店提供， 在服务不足、无法通过多种支付手段获得服务的地区提供健康食品;以及㈡ 服务不足人群的成员能够轻松地在线获得健康食品选择， 购买食品，并将这些购买的食品送到家中，以改善健康食品的获得。这 该项目将提供一个框架，在第二阶段扩大和完善到其他社区，以打击 在服务不足的社区，健康食品获取的差距以及相关的负面健康影响。

Abstract. Residents with a chronic lack of access to healthy food resources are at greater risk of being obese and developing obesity related chronic diseases. These diseases include diabetes, several types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and osteoarthritis which can decrease longevity and quality of life and represent >10% of total health care expenditures annually. Unfortunately, while many groups have recommended making changes to places where people shop for food to increase people’s ability and motivation to purchase affordable and quality healthier food limited options exist. We seek to enable a ‘loop’ where people have easy access to healthy, culturally appropriate foods, are able to easily redeem SNAP and other public/private food benefits, jobs are created, grocers can remain in business and dollars circulate in local communities. Our approach will be achieved with an existing eCommerce and local delivery platform that provides thousands of independent grocers across the country with the technological tools to provide services and a partnership with a local nonprofit with the experience and expertise in providing healthy foods to underserved populations. Aims include (i) Prepare, educate, and enable independent grocers to provide and deliver healthy food in underserved areas with a lack of access via multiple means of payment; and (ii) Enable members of underserved populations the ability to easily access healthy food options online, make healthy grocery purchases, and have these purchases delivered to their homes to improve healthy food access. This project will provide a framework to be expanded and refined in Phase II to other neighborhoods to combat the disparities of healthy food access and the associated negative health effects in underserved communities.