Learning about Health and Nutrition from Fond du Lac County Community Members

The most recent census data indicates a significant growth in the Black/African American population in Fond du Lac County. To better understand how to respond to the needs of Black/African American community members, FoodWIse partnered with UW-Madison Population Health, Fond du Lac Public Health, and the United Way to host community-wide focus groups. Each focus group was approximately 90 minutes long and led by a trained facilitator from Ubuntu Research and Evaluation, a highly respected group of Black/African American researchers in Milwaukee. The conversation focused on hearing from community members about access to nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, feeding their families, food budgeting and grocery shopping, and physical activity. Each participant received a $50 gift card as an incentive for sharing their lived experiences. The next step of this project is to interview community agencies that serve Black/African American community members, such as the public health, food banks/pantries, social services, etc. Local health coalitions, such as the Food Providers Group and Living Well FDL will be important contributors, as well. The information learned will not only inform the local FoodWIse program but will be taken into consideration when planning the Fond du Lac County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Local health coalitions are interested in holding additional focus groups to learn more from other groups, such as LatinX.

 

 

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