Utah State University

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. the Proposed Project Addresses Critical Challenges to Improve Nutrition Security. Current Trends Show Little or No Progress in Improving Food Security or Dietary Quality, Both Key Factors in Preventing Chronic Diseases Such as Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes. Barriers Such as Structural Inequalities and Lack of Tailored Interventions Based on Precision Nutrition Particularly Affect Underserved Populations, Including Low-income, Rural, and Minority Communities. This Project Will Create the Western Region Nutrition Security Collaborative, a Platform to Foster Interdisciplinary and Cross-sector Collaboration to Address These Barriers and Improve Equitable Access to Health-promoting Foods.the Project Has Four Main Objectives. First, It Will Establish a Collaborative Network of Stakeholders Across the Western Region, Facilitating Knowledge Exchange, Resource-sharing, and Coordinated Action. Second, Formative Evaluation Research Will Be Conducted to Assess Community Needs and Inform the Development of Effective Tools, Ensuring That Interventions Are Contextually Relevant. Third, the Project Will Develop and Pilot Several Evidence-based Toolkits and Associated Trainings to Guide Policy, Systems, and Environment (PSE) Interventions for Improve Food Access Through Community Partnerships. Fourth, an Open-access Toolkit for Community-engaged Learning Will Be Created to Enhance the Capacity of University Faculty, Students, and Community Partners to Address Nutrition Security Through Practical, Hands-on Engagement, Resulting in an Enhanced Workforce.the Project Builds on Existing Expertise and Strong Partnerships, Leveraging the Strengths of Three Land-grant Institutions. by Utilizing Community-engaged Methods, the Project Aims to Develop Sustainable, Scalable, and Culturally Relevant Solutions to Improve Nutrition Security and Reduce Health Disparities Across the Western Region.