Research & Practice
Increasing Farmers Market Access among Low-Income Shoppers in Washington State: Understanding the Role of Peer-to-Peer Programs
Many Americans are not consuming adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables. In 2013, only 13% of
United States residents consumed the recommended one and one-half to two cups of fruit each day
and only nine percent were meeting the recommendations to consume two to three cups of vegetables
per day. Low-income individuals are less likely to consume the recommended amounts of fruit
and vegetables than higher-income people, and United States Department of Agriculture data shows
the average daily intake of both vegetables and fruit increases as income level increases. When
looking at an individual’s neighborhood socio-economic status (SES) index, one standard deviation
increase is associated with consumption of nearly two additional servings of fruit and vegetables per
week.
The purpose of this project was to describe a sample of peer-to-peer (P2P) farmers market programs, explore perceptions about the impacts of P2P programs, and to evaluate the factors that contribute to the success of this initiative. The study also examines how these findings relate to key indicators in the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): Master's Thesis
Author(s): Danielle Hamilton
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2016
Adviser(s):