Chula Vista, California

Map showing Chula Vista, California, UC San Diego
Population: 267,503
Project focus: Access to foods that support healthy eating patterns

Goals:

  • Increase food security levels, and obesity prevention among Chula Vista community members
  • Develop a Resident Leadership, Advocacy, Policy, Systems and Environmental Change Program

Partners and Approach
The University of California San Diego Center for Community Health at the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) and the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, in partnership with the City of Chula Vista, Chula Vista Elementary School District, WE SUPPORT U, Global Action Research Center, Blue Shield of California, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency, San Diego Hunger Coalition, Northgate González Market, Mi Clínica at Northgate González Market, South Bay Community Services and other community partners, used community engagement and facilitative leadership to leverage new and existing resources in their city to address and prevent chronic health conditions.

The Chula Vista project team engaged and trained city residents through a Resident Leadership Academy designed to build understanding of systems and root causes of food insecurity. Resident leaders identified needs within their communities and designed interventions to support local residents. They also partnered with promotores, or community health workers, to support food security and obesity prevention efforts across Chula Vista.

Successes (as of September 2022)
The project team and resident leaders advocated for expansion of the ¡Mas Fresco! Nutrition Incentive Program to connect more Chula Vista residents to nutritious foods. This expansion equates to an annual value of $822,000 to Chula Vista community members for the purchase and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. 

With the help of South Bay Community Service’s promotoras, the Chula Vista project team also supported the launch of the Streetwyze app in their community. Through this process, community members were asked to enter stories about their experiences accessing community services and amenities in a mobile app. Prompt questions covered topics of access to health services, food, housing, safety, public space, education, discrimination, community pride, and community support. Stories could be categorized as good, bad, or in need of fixing to raise awareness around the quality of services in the community. In just three months, the SBCS promotores engaged 136 people, and captured 991 data points or stories. By equipping residents with the necessary tools and strategies to advocate for policy, systems and environmental change in support of healthy living, improved health outcomes have never been more possible in the city of Chula Vista! 

Snapshot 1 (July - December 2020) | 
Snapshot 2 (January - June 2021) | Snapshot 3 (July - December 2021)

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