To promote access to healthy foods for impoverished children, which strategy is most likely to ensure success?

• A. Gaining corporate support
• B. Providing evidence-based information about the importance of a healthy diet
• C. Designing a community garden approach that involves children and their parents
• D. Asking community members to assist in researching and implementing a program

Answer: (D)

Engaging the community in researching barriers and then designing and carrying out the program builds ownership, trust, and solutions that fit the local context. When community members help identify needs and implement steps, the plan reflects real constraints—cost, availability, transportation, and cultural preferences—and can be adapted over time. This ownership and relevance are what drive sustained change, making it more likely that families actually access and use healthier food options for children. Other approaches can help, but without active community involvement in both what to do and how to do it, improvements may be short-lived or misaligned with local realities.