Redesigning the Culture of Obesity
creating economic growth to reduce obesity rates in low income urban areas
Role: design research, Business Strategy & Partnerships
Client: NYC Dpt. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Class: Capstone for Graduate Studies
Team: Jen Laga, Quentin Koopman, Dok Chon, Hung Young Kim
Executive Summary
In the United States obesity has become a twenty first century epidemic, and regardless of heightened attention on obesity prevention and treatment the number of obese individuals living in the United States continues to rise. In response to this apparent paradox our team conducted an in-depth analysis of the social, environment and economic factors associated with the epidemic. Based on this analysis we have concluded that the obesity epidemic is a multi-faceted problem that cannot be attributed to any one individual cause, and future research, and prevention and treatment programs need to be multi-faceted.
To further validate these conclusions, we identified East Harlem as a viable area to test a pilot program built around this multi-level approach. Based on insights from additional research focused on obesity in this neighborhood, both primary and secondary, we defined specific objectives and components needed for this type of program. We used these objectives and components in the ideation and development of the East Harlem Kitchen Cabinet, a community based initiative designed to streamline healthy food distribution in combination with educational opportunities that influence the eating behaviors of families in low-income urban areas.
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