Strategies for Improving Nutrition in Inner-City Populations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The social, economic, cultural, and historic reasons for why inner-city communities have struggled with poor nutrition and health outcomes are complex. Creating successful programs to address these problems requires a better understanding of the gaps that exist and formulating solutions to improve access to nutritious food options.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies have demonstrated that aggressive evidence-based nutrition can decrease factors linked to cardiovascular diseases, but improving access to these nutritious resources and prioritizing health literacy and behavior modification related to meal choices are just as essential. Government programs and community interventions have shown promise through creating supermarkets, farmers' markets, and community gardens, but not all inner-city areas have such programs in place. The poor state of inner-city nutrition and health is a true public health crisis. Creation of innovative strategies to improve education on and sustainable access to nutritious foods is essential in order to improve health disparities and outcomes.