Abstract for: Application of CBSD to Intervene on Racial Disparities in Food Access in Hayti MO

In Pemiscot County, Black residents lose an estimated 7,800 years of life more than white counterparts due to inequitable access to healthy foods. (countyhealthrankings.org). This project utilized community-based system dynamics (CBSD) and group model building (GMB) scripts (Hovmand 2014) to engage community members in developing interventions to address factors driving racial inequities in food access in Hayti, MO, a predominately Black, rural community in Pemiscot County. In answering this question, the project team wanted to employ CBSD and GMB in a racially equitable, community-driven way. This practitioner application presentation outlines how the project team applied these concepts to planning and design of GMB and discusses recommendations for how to engage community members in racial-equity focused applications of CBSD and GMB.