CU researchers working to address food insecurity on the Western Slope

University of Colorado researchers are working to make primary care and community health better over here on the Western Slope. One of the topics they're looking into: food insecurity.

The Food Bank of the Rockies says while they don't yet have April data, March was a record month for them; they moved one million pounds of food… for reference, they moved 8 million pounds in all of 2019. While there are many community resources like the food bank, CU researchers have found that the stigma around food insecurity prevents folks from getting assistance.

"That stigma most likely interferes with all of the work we do to try and address food insecurity. It can make people not want to tell a medical provider or someone at their child's school that they're food insecure and then also make them less likely to contact an organization that might help them address their food needs," explains Anne Nederveld, Assistant Professor with the CU Department of Family Medicine.

Researchers are now working on the best ways to make folks feel more comfortable asking for help, studying whether schools or medical practices among other options might be the best avenue for reducing the stigma.