TY  - JOUR
AU  - Oza-Frank, Reena
AU  - Warnock, Amy Lowry
AU  - Calancie, Larissa
AU  - Bassarab, Karen
AU  - Palmer, Anne
AU  - Cooksey Stowers, Kristen
AU  - Harris, Diane
PY  - 2025
TI  - Food Policy Councils and Healthy Food Access Policies: A 2021 National Survey of Community Policy Supports
T2  - Preventing Chronic Disease
JO  - Prev Chronic Dis
SP  - E03
VL  - 22
CY  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
N2  - INTRODUCTION  Food policy councils (FPCs) are frequently used to facilitate change in food systems at the local, state, and regional levels, or in tribal nations. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of food policy councils and similar coalitions among US municipalities and their associations with healthy food access policies. METHODS  We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living, administered to municipal officials from May through September 2021. We used logistic regression models to examine associations between 1) having an FPC and 2) FPC membership composition and healthy food access policies. We grouped policies into 4 categories based on topic modules in the survey instrument: supporting new or existing food stores to sell healthy foods, financial or electronic benefits transfer (EBT) supports, transportation-related supports for accessing locations to purchase food, and consideration of local food supports in community planning. RESULTS  Municipalities with FPCs (27.6%) had significantly higher odds than municipalities without FPCs of having policies supporting access to food retail stores (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-1.9), access to farmers markets (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.7), access to transportation supports (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.8-2.8), and objectives in community planning documents (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.5). Among municipalities with FPCs, those with a health/public health representative (42.1%) or a community representative (65.1%) were more likely to report having any healthy food access policies. CONCLUSION  This study emphasized the positive association between FPCs and healthy food access policies. This study also highlights the potential importance of FPC membership composition, including health/public health and community representatives.
SN  - 1545-1151
UR  - https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd22.240335
DO  - 10.5888/pcd22.240335
ER  -