The Neighborhood & Health Study (N&HS)

A Naturalistic Study of Residents of an Agriculturally Integrated Community

The objective of The Neighborhood & Health Study is to use a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach to assess the impact of living in an agrihood-an agriculturally integrated community. This study follows a longitudinal cohort of residents of a newly developed neighborhood (the Indigo Neighborhood) and a geographically and socio-demographically matched neighborhood (the Elyson Neighborhood), both located in Fort Bend County, Texas, providing a unique opportunity for a natural experiment.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cardiometabolic Health; Healthy Eating
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Residence in Agrihood Neighborhood

Detailed Description

Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are prevalent in many communities across the United States. Agriculturally integrated communities called "agrihoods" are a potential responsive agriculture solution that may support healthy living. The aims of the study are to 1) Assess short-term changes in healthy eating, physical activity, cardiometabolic health indicators, and social connectedness as compared to a comparison neighborhood that is not an agriculturally integrated neighborhood; 2) Document time use with features of the Indigo Agrihood and assess consumer preferences for built and nature design features to provide resident-driven data for future developments; 3) Assess the economic benefits of the Indigo Agrihood.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 600

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Deyaun L Jafari, Ph.D.; Phone Number: 972-952-9215; Email: deyaun.jafari@ag.tamu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Katy, Texas, United States, 77493
      • Recruiting
      • Elyson Neighborhood
      • Contact: Project Manager
    • Richmond, Texas, United States, 77406
      • Recruiting
      • Indigo Neighborhood
      • Contact: Project Manager

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The population the groups will be selected from are residents of the Indigo Neighborhood and Elyson Neighborhood in Fort Bent County, Texas

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Indigo Neighborhood Participants:

• 18 years or older
• Lived in the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence for less than 3 months or intend to move to the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence.
• Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included

Elyson Neighborhood Participants:

• 18 years or older
• Live in the Elyson Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence (the comparison neighborhood group).
• Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included

Exclusion Criteria:

Indigo Neighborhood Participants:

• None.

Elyson Neighborhood Participants:

• None.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Agrihood Group; The Agrihood Group consists of adults who live in the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence for less than 3 months or intend to move to the Indigo Neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence. Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included.	Other: Residence in Agrihood Neighborhood; We are examining the effects of individuals who move into an agrihood neighborhood.
Comparison Group; The Comparison Group consists of adults who live in the Elyson comparison neighborhood as their primary and permanent residence. Pregnant women will not be excluded from participation and may be coincidentally included.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in healthy eating	Healthy eating will be measured by the Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans - 16 items scale. Score ranges from 0 to 16. Higher scores indicate healthy eating patterns.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in physical activity	Physical activity will be measured through calculating moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA), walking, and sedentary behavior using data from an accelerometer worn by participants for 7 days	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in social connectedness	Social connectedness will be measured by the Brief Sense of Community Scale. Scores range from 8 to 40. Higher scores indicate more social connectedness.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in body mass index (BMI)	Height and weight will be measured by research staff and BMI will be calculated.	Baseline to 6 months
Change in blood pressure	Blood pressure will be measured by research staff using an Omron sphygmomanometer. Measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg).	Baseline to 6 months
Change in hemoglobin A1c	Hemoglobin A1c will be measured by research staff using a CardioChek Plus machine that measures glucose in their blood. Hemoglobin A1c is measured in milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dL) of blood.	Baseline to 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in total physical activity	Total physical activity (MET-min/wk) will be assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-long)	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in total HEI score	Total Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score will be calculated from a single 24-hour recall collected via the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24). Score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better diet.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Met recommendation for fish consumption (y/n)	Whether or not a participant met the recommendation for fish consumption will be assessed using an LS7 item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) cardiovascular health score	American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7) score is a composite of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (physical activity, eating habits, smoking status, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure). Score ranges from 0 to 14. Higher scores indicate better health.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) recommendation adherence score	WCRF/AICR recommendation adherence score is a composite of seven items listed above: BMI, physical activity, fiber intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, processed food consumption, red meat consumption, and alcohol consumption. Scores range from 0 to 7. Higher scores indicate greater adherence to the recommendations.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) cardiovascular health score	American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score is a composite of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (physical activity, eating habits, smoking status, sleep, cholesterol, glucose, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure). Score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better health.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in community food environment	The community food environment, including store access and shopping behaviors, will be assessed by two items from the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey. Scores range from 2 to 10. Higher scores indicate a more diverse community food environment	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in perceived stress	Perceived stress will be assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale. Scores range from 0 to 40. Higher scores indicate more perceived stress.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in gardening and fruit and vegetable procurement	Types of gardening and where fruits and vegetables are obtained will be assessed using multiple choice questions.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in sense of community	Sense of community will be assessed using the Collective Efficacy scale. Scores range from 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater sense of community.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in nature exposure	Nature exposure will be assessed by modified questions from the People and Nature Survey for England for American audiences. Multiple choice questions assess how much time is spent in nature and what type of natural spaces individuals visit. An additional multiple-choice item from the Nature of Americans survey will be used to identify how much time is spent in nature recreationally and for work in a typical week in hours.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in positive and negative affect	Positive and negative affect will be assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. Scores range from 10 to 50 for each positive and negative affect. Higher scores indicate more positive or negative affect.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in (community) social cohesion	Community social cohesion will be assessed by the social cohesion sub-scale of the Mujahid et al. Neighborhood Environment Scale (NES). Scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores indicate greater social cohesion.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in transportation used to utilized food resources	Transportation used to obtain food will be assessed by a single categorical item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in distance to utilized food resources	Distance to utilized food resources will be measured in miles.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in number of utilized food resources	Number of utilized food resources will be measured by a multiple choice item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in transportation used to utilized physical activity resources	Transportation used to access the physical activity resources will be assessed by a single categorical item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in distance to utilized physical activity resources	Distance to utilized physical activity resources will be measured in miles.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in number of utilized physical activity resources	Number of utilized physical activity resources will be measured by a multiple choice item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in loneliness	Loneliness and social isolation will be assessed by the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Scores range from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate more loneliness and social isolation.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in functional health	Functional health will be assessed by the Quality Metric's MOS Short Form - 36 Version 2. 10 items will be used with scores range from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate higher functional health.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in dermal carotenoids	Dermal carotenoids will be measured by research staff using a Veggie Meter machine, which scans a participant's finger to measure carotenoids or how many fruits and vegetables someone eats. Scores from 0 to 800. Higher scores indicate higher levels of carotenoids.	Baseline to 6 months
Change in lipids	Lipids will be measured by research staff using a CardioChek Plus machine that measures lipids in blood. Triglycerides will be measured in milligrams (mg) of triglycerides per deciliter (dL) of blood. LDL/HDL cholesterol will be measured in milligrams of LDL/HDL cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. Total Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood.	Baseline to 6 months
Change in fruit intake	Total fruit intake (cups/day) will be measured using a LS7 item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in vegetable intake	Total vegetable intake (cups/day) will be measured using a LS7 item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in consumption of whole grains	Whole grain consumption (servings/day) will be assessed using an LS7 item.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in fiber intake	Fiber intake (g/day) will be assessed using the NHANES Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ).	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in frequency of consuming ultra-processed foods	Frequency of ultra-processed foods consumption (times/month) will be assessed using a 9-item questionnaire adapted from the DSQ and the Beverage and Snack Questionnaire (BSQ2).	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in red and processed meat consumption	Total red and processed meat consumption (g/week) will be estimated using the DSQ.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in alcohol consumption	Alcohol consumption (drinks/day) will be assessed using a 2-item questionnaire adapted from the Alcohol Use Disorders Screening Test (AUDIT).	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in fruit intake	Total fruit intake (cups/day) will be measured using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in vegetable intake	Total vegetable intake (cups/day) will be measured using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in consumption of whole grains	Whole grain consumption (servings/day) will be assessed using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in fiber intake	Fiber intake (g/day) will be assessed using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in red and processed meat consumption	Total red and processed meat consumption (g/week) will be estimated using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in alcohol consumption	Alcohol consumption (drinks/day) will be assessed using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months
Change in frequency of consuming ultra-processed foods	Frequency of ultra-processed foods consumption (times/month) will be assessed using a 24-hour recall.	Baseline to 3 & 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Texas A&M University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jay E Maddock, Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Maddock JE, Lewis EC, Villarreal DL, MacMillan Uribe AL, Janda-Thomte KM, Han G, Hall CR, Sturdivant RX, Patterson MS, Graham ML, Seguin-Fowler RA, Umstattd Meyer MR. Protocol for a naturalistic study of residents living in an agriculturally-integrated ("agrihood") neighborhood. Front Public Health. 2025 Nov 20;13:1679602. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1679602. eCollection 2025.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 9, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 22, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 30, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 9, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 5, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical Activity; Healthy Eating; Social Connectedness; Agrihood
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY2025-0321

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No