Mc Intosh indica que a los 90 años (dato importante ) ,es decir, ya con una gran experiencia y hasta se podría decir que se debería haber

Infant and Children and the Food Stamp (EBT) Program. You were selected for the study because of your participation (as an administrator, staff member or affiliate) in one or both of these federal food assistance programs. The information gathered for this project will be used by Amanda Lowe-DuBose, a graduate student at Georgia Southern University, in the completion of her doctoral dissertation.

Purpose of the Study:

The aim of the study is to identify and understand factors that comprise neighborhood food environments and impact perceptions and behaviors toward dietary nutrition. The contribution of information gathered during this study will be beneficial to low-income women who participate in food assistance programs, because it will look at food access and accessibility among WIC and Food Stamp (EBT) participants and increase dialogue on identifying ways to improve neighborhood food environments in the form of recommendations to the WIC and Food Stamp administrators.

Procedures:

If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to do the following things:

Participate in an interview regarding your experiences educating and working with women who utilize the WIC and/or Food Stamp programs in order to purchase food, learn about healthy food preparation and dietary nutrition. The interview will be documented through both comprehensive note taking and digital audio recording and transcribed verbatim to gain an understanding of the perceptions and behaviors of WIC and Food Stamp participants. The interview should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Potential Risks and Discomforts

The risks of the research are minimal. However, you may feel some discomfort speaking about your experiences with federal food assistance programs. If you are uncomfortable with any of the questions, you can skip questions and stop participating at any time.

Potential Benefits to Study Participants/ and or Society:

As a result of sharing your experiences with the researcher, recommendations for improving the access and accessibility of healthy food options to WIC and Food Stamp recipients may be made. These recommendations will address the needs that interviewees, such as yourself, have

identified. Therefore, the results of this interview may potentially improve your access to resources in your community.

Duration:

The interview should last about 30 minutes, but depending on how much you have to share, it may be shorter or longer.

Confidentiality:

The information you share will only be used in this study. Once the information is collected and stored, all information that can identify you will be removed. Your name will not be associated

137

with your responses and will be identified only by an assigned code number. The information you give will be stored electronically on password-protected computers. Once data has been collected and analyzed from the Key Informant interviews, the information will be destroyed after a 7 year period. After 7 years, all notes and electronic transcripts will be permanently deleted.

Questions about the Study:

If you have any questions about this study or your part in it, please speak with Amanda Lowe- DuBose, Principal Investigator at 251-769-1007. If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this study or any concerns or complaints, please contact the Georgia Department of Public Health Institutional Review Board at 404-463-2448 or via email at [email protected]. Compensation:

A free gift bag valued at $5 will be provided to key informants that participate in the interview. Partial compensation will be provided to participants that start but do not complete an interview. Prior to beginning the interview the PI will inform the participants about how they will be compensated for their full and partial participation. Participants who partially complete the

interview will receive a healthy snack for their participation in the study.

Voluntary Participation and Withdrawal:

Your participation in this study is voluntary. You have the right to not be in this study. If you do not participate, you will not lose any benefits to which you are otherwise entitled and will continue to receive services from the Women, Infants, and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. If you decide to be in the study and change your mind, you have the right to drop out at any time. You may also skip questions that you do not wish to answer. To withdraw from the study, please contact the Principal Investigator Amanda Lowe-DuBose, by calling 251-769-1007.

Penalty:

There is no penalty if you decide not to participate in this study. Participant Signature:

You will be given a copy of this consent form to keep for your records. This project has been reviewed and approved by the GSU Institutional Review Board under tracking number H13453.

Title of Project: Obesity, Food Insecurity and the Impact On Perceptions and Behaviors Toward Dietary Nutrition In Low Income Women In Georgia

Principal Investigator: Amanda Lowe-DuBose, 251-769-1007, [email protected] Faculty Advisor: Dr. Moya Alfonso, 912-478-0966, malfonso@ georgiasouthern.edu

______________________________________ _____________________

Participant Signature Date

I, the undersigned, verify that the above informed consent procedure has been followed. ______________________________________ _____________________

138

KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN MACON, GA

“Hello. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. This interview is for a project that I am working on as a graduate student at Georgia Southern University, in the completion of my Doctorate Dissertation. I am interested in hearing your perspective about obesity, food insecurity and the availability and access of nutritional foods in the community.

The interview should last about 30 minutes, but depending on how much you have to share, it may be shorter or longer. Taking part in this in this interview is purely voluntary. You can choose to pass on any questions, or stop the interview at any time. I will be taking notes and recording (with your permission) this discussion so as not to miss any of your valuable insight. All information from the interviews will be utilized for research insight and recommendation to improve local food environments. Do you have any questions about the interview process before we begin?”

1. What is your relationship with the community of Macon, Georgia?

2. What concerns you most about the health status of the women that participate in the WIC

and Food Stamps programs in Macon, Georgia?

3. Where do members of your community shop for healthy food selections?

4. What challenges or barriers do policy makers face when trying to implement policy or

legislation to improve healthy food access and affordability?

5. How can policy makers collaborate with community partners to address the prevalence of

obesity among in WIC and Food Stamp participants in Macon, GA?

6. What are the current health initiatives taking place in Macon, GA that utilize WIC and

Food Stamps to improve the health and wellness of the communities?

7. What role can policy makers take in promoting health and wellness in their communities?

8. What incentives if any are available, for local stores, restaurants and farmers markets that

provide healthy food options?

9. Who are the public health advocates in your community, and what is your working

relationship with this group or groups?

10. What ideas or suggestions would you offer fellow policy makers, to improve the health

and wellness of the communities in Macon, GA?

11. As a public servant, how will you use your role in leadership to improve the health outcomes

139

12. Is there anything else about nutrition, community partnerships, policies or food access

and availability that I haven’t asked that you would like to talk about that you weren’t able to share earlier?

140 Appendix B