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 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 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.