UAMS Research Highlights Innovative, Community Driven Approaches to Combat Food Insecurity in Arkansas
| LITTLE ROCK — Two studies led by researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) spotlight the daily struggles of food-insecure Arkansans and offer new insights into community driven solutions to address hunger in one of the nation’s most food-insecure states.
The research, conducted through UAMS’s Institute for Community Health Innovation, reveals the profound effects of food insecurity on communities and explores the impact of innovative pilot programs tailored to the cultural needs of Hispanic and Marshallese communities.
In one of the studies, “Daily Reality of Food Insecurity: A PhotoVoice Study,” published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, residents experiencing food insecurity documented their lives through photography and narrative, providing a powerful visual testimony of their challenges and resilience.
Conducted as part of the institute’s Food Insecurity Community of Practice, participants shared stories around four central themes: community giving and receiving, the high cost of healthy food, time burdens associated with food assistance, and navigating scarce resources.
“This study gave a platform to voices that are too often overlooked,” said Bonnie Faitak, director of community programs at the UAMS institute and one of the study investigators. “The participants are not just recipients of food assistance. They are also volunteers, community leaders and advocates. Their stories are critical to shaping policies that meet real needs.”
Building on these insights, the second project, “Process Evaluation of Culturally Preferred Food Pilot,” published in the Journal of Trauma-Informed Community Health, Nutrition, and Physical Activity, focused on increasing access to foods that reflect the cultural preferences of Arkansas’s growing Hispanic and Marshallese populations. Six partners, including farms and food pantries, were funded to grow and distribute culturally relevant foods, such as sweet potatoes, Masa flour and fresh vegetables.
The pilot, also led by the institute’s Food Insecurity Community of Practice team, showed positive results, including increased client satisfaction, improved pantry offerings and the formation of new community partnerships. Partners reported greater awareness of cultural food needs and expressed a strong commitment to sustaining these efforts, despite concerns about long-term funding and supply chain challenges.
“This project proves that culturally preferred foods are more than a preference. They’re essential to health,” said Faitak, a co-author of both studies.
Both studies were grounded in community-based participatory research (CBPR), with guidance from a stakeholder advisory board of residents with lived experience of food insecurity. This collaborative approach ensures that the solutions are rooted in the realities of those most affected.
With Arkansas continuing to face one of the highest food insecurity rates in the country (18.9% in 2023), these studies offer scalable, community informed strategies that can be replicated across the U.S.
“These projects affirm the power of listening to the people we serve,” said Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., the institute’s director. “When we elevate the voices of community members, we create solutions that are effective and sustainable.”
These projects were supported by the Walmart Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (REACH grant), the UAMS Translational Research Institute, and other local partners.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###