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Research Results Food Access
Research Results Food Access
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Children, especially older children, and their families purchase a wide variety of foods and beverages at neighborhood corner stores, grocery stores and restaurants. The studies in this research area focus on these food outlets and on the policies that affect the purchasing decisions made by children and their families. Title: Review of the Nutritional Implications of Farmers’ Markets and Community Gardens: A Call for Evaluation and Research Efforts
Authors: Lacey Arneson McCormack, M.P.H., R.D., Melissa Nelson Laska, Ph.D., R.D., Nicole Larson, Ph.D., M.P.H, R.D., Mary Story, Ph.D., R.D.
Organization: RWJF Healthy Eating Research national program office, University of Minnesota
Results: This article reviews the current literature on the effect of farmers’ market programs and community gardens on nutrition-related outcomes in adults. The outcomes investigated in these studies included dietary intake, attitudes and beliefs about buying, preparing and eating fruits and vegetables, and perceptions and behaviors related to acquiring produce from farmers’ markets and community gardens. The authors found that there are few studies with strong study designs that evaluate the effects of farmers’ markets and community gardens on nutrition-related outcomes. They conclude that more research is needed using well-established measures to examine the long-term influences of farmers’ market and community gardens.
Title: Healthy Food Availability in Small Urban Food Stores: A Comparison of Four
RWJF Grant IDs: 65050, 63049, 63052, 63149
Principal Investigator: Kelley E Borradaile, Ph.D.; Barbara Laraia, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.; Gary Foster, Ph.D.; Joel Gittelsohn, Ph.D., M.S.
Organizations: Temple University; University of California, San Francisco; Temple University; Johns Hopkins University
Results: This article assesses the availability of healthy foods in small food stores within four metropolitan areas: Baltimore, Maryland; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Oakland, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Overall, availability of healthy foods within these small urban stores was limited. For nearly all food/beverage categories, scores regarding healthy food availability increased as store size increased.
Title: Snacking in Children: The Role of Urban Corner Stores
RWJF Grant ID: 63052; 65050
Principal Investigator: Gary D. Foster, Ph.D.; Kelley E. Borradaile, Ph.D.
Organization:
Results: This study provides data on what children purchase in corner stores located near their schools. The investigators collected data on 833 purchases that students made before and after school at 24 different corner stores. (Surveys were conducted immediately outside the stores after the students exited.) The students purchased an average of 1497.7 calories per corner-store visit, and most of them on energy-dense, low-nutritive items.
Title: Inequality in Obesigenic Environments: Fast Food Density in New York City
RWJF Grant ID: 63155
Principal Investigator: Naa Oyo A. Kwate, Ph.D.
Organization: Columbia University
Results: This paper documents the relation between racial and socioeconomic inequalities and the density of fast food in New York City. The researchers found that areas that were "predominantly Black" had higher densities of fast food than predominantly White areas, regardless of income level. Such results highlight the need to develop policy-level interventions to address racial disparities in food environments.
Title: Neighborhood Environments: Disparities in Access to Healthy Foods in the U.S.
Authors: Nicole I. Larson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.; Mary T. Story, Ph.D., R.D.; Melissa C. Nelson, Ph.D., R.D.
Organizations: RWJF Healthy Eating Research and University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Results: This comprehensive review examined 54 studies that evaluated neighborhood access to food outlets, the types of foods available in stores and restaurants, dietary information and weight status. The review found that individuals who have better access to supermarkets and limited access to fast-food restaurants tend to have healthier diets and lower rates of obesity. Individuals living in low-income, minority and rural neighborhoods are most often affected by poor access to supermarkets and healthful food while the availability of fast-food restaurants and high-fat, unhealthy foods tends to be greater in lower-income and minority neighborhoods.
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