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Safayet M, Casellas Connors JP, Watson M. Measuring access to food banks and food pantries: A scoping review of spatial analysis approaches. Health Place 2024; 88:103251. [PMID: 38744054 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Food banks and food pantries are crucial in supporting access to food and addressing food insecurity for millions of people. This scoping review identified eighteen articles that applied spatial analysis approaches to measure access to food banks and food pantries. The review summarizes the methods and primary findings of these studies, and examines how these address different dimensions of food access. Findings suggest that the majority of studies measured the accessibility and availability dimensions of food access, and two addressed accommodation. Through a discussion of these studies' methods and broader literature on food environments, we highlight opportunities to integrate advanced geospatial and mixed methods to support an empirically grounded and broader understanding of food bank and pantry access in future research. This will yield a more holistic picture of food environments and provide practical implications for site selection, resource allocation, and food assistance operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mastura Safayet
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - John P Casellas Connors
- Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA; Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Maria Watson
- M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management, Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Xu R, Huang X, Zhang K, Lyu W, Ghosh D, Li Z, Chen X. Integrating human activity into food environments can better predict cardiometabolic diseases in the United States. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7326. [PMID: 37957191 PMCID: PMC10643374 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42667-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases in the United States is presumably linked to an obesogenic retail food environment that promotes unhealthy dietary habits. Past studies, however, have reported inconsistent findings about the relationship between the two. One underexplored area is how humans interact with food environments and how to integrate human activity into scalable measures. In this paper, we develop the retail food activity index (RFAI) at the census tract level by utilizing Global Positioning System tracking data covering over 94 million aggregated visit records to approximately 359,000 food retailers across the United States over two years. Here we show that the RFAI has significant associations with the prevalence of multiple cardiometabolic diseases. Our study indicates that the RFAI is a promising index with the potential for guiding the development of policies and health interventions aimed at curtailing the burden of cardiometabolic diseases, especially in communities characterized by obesogenic dietary behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Xu
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
- Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Xiao Huang
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA
| | - Weixuan Lyu
- Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Debarchana Ghosh
- Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
- Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Zhenlong Li
- Geoinformation and Big Data Research Lab, Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Xiang Chen
- Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
- Department of Geography, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA.
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Needham C, Strugnell C, Allender S, Alston L, Orellana L. BMI and the Food Retail Environment in Melbourne, Australia: Associations and Temporal Trends. Nutrients 2023; 15:4503. [PMID: 37960156 PMCID: PMC10649206 DOI: 10.3390/nu15214503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into the link between food environments and health is scarce. Research in this field has progressed, and new comprehensive methods (i.e., incorporating all food retail outlets) for classifying food retail environments have been developed and are yet to be examined alongside measures of obesity. In this study, we examine the association and temporal trends between the food environment and BMI of a repeated cross-sectional sample of the adult population between 2008 and 2016. Methods: Food retail data for 264 postal areas of Greater Melbourne was collected for the years 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2016, and a container-based approach was used to estimate accessibility to supermarkets, healthy and unhealthy outlets. Data on BMI for postal areas was obtained from the Victorian Population Health Survey (n = 47,245). We estimated the association between the food environment and BMI using linear mixed models. Results indicated that BMI increased as accessibility to healthy outlets decreased by up to -0.69 kg/m2 (95%CI: -0.95, -0.44). BMI was lower with high and moderate access to supermarkets compared to low access by -0.33 kg/m2 (-0.63, -0.04) and -0.32 kg/m2 (-0.56, -0.07), and with high access to unhealthy outlets compared to low access (-0.38 kg/m2: -0.64, -0.12) and moderate access (-0.54 kg/m2: -0.78, -0.30). Conclusion: Our results show that increasing access and availability to a diverse range of food outlets, particularly healthy food outlets, should be an important consideration for efforts to support good health. This research provides evidence that Australia needs to follow suit with other countries that have adopted policies giving local governments the power to encourage healthier food environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Needham
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (C.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Claudia Strugnell
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (C.S.); (S.A.)
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia
| | - Steven Allender
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia; (C.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Laura Alston
- Colac Area Health, Colac, VIC 3250, Australia;
- Faculty of Health, Deakin Rural Health, Deakin University, Warrnambool, VIC 3280, Australia
| | - Liliana Orellana
- Faculty of Health, Biostatistics Unit, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia;
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Liu B, Widener MJ, Smith LG, Gesink D. Integrating coordination of food purchasing into activity space-based food environment research: Toward a household perspective. Health Place 2023; 82:103046. [PMID: 37257251 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advances in person-based approaches to studying food environments, most studies using these approaches have relied on individual-centered activity space measures and largely ignored cohabiting household members who play crucial roles in shaping an individual's food access, food behaviors, and diet. This can be problematic for completely capturing food environments relevant to an individual and add uncertainties to explorations of how individuals' food environments relate to their food behaviors. This viewpoint discusses the need for, and implications of, considering household members when measuring food access and disentangling the behavioral pathways connecting the food environment to diet. Ultimately, a conceptual framework and potential questions are proposed to integrate household members into food environment research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bochu Liu
- Department of Urban Planning, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, China; Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto - St George, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; UKCRC Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), MRC Epidemiology Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael J Widener
- Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto - St George, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Lindsey G Smith
- Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto - St George, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dionne Gesink
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Selective Daily Mobility Bias in the Community Food Environment: Case Study of Greater Hartford, Connecticut. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15020404. [PMID: 36678275 PMCID: PMC9867517 DOI: 10.3390/nu15020404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The community food environment has potential influences on community members' dietary health outcomes, such as obesity and Type II diabetes. However, most existing studies evaluating such health effects neglect human mobility. In food patrons' daily travels, certain locations may be preferred and patronized more frequently than others. This behavioral uncertainty, known as the selective daily mobility bias (SDMB), is less explored in community-food-environment research. In this paper, we aim to confirm the existence of the SDMB by systematically exploring the large-scale GPS-based restaurant-visit patterns in the Greater Harford region, Connecticut. Next, we explore the restaurant and neighborhood characteristics that are associated with the restaurant-visit patterns. Our primary results demonstrate that (1) most restaurant customers originate from areas outside of the census tract where the restaurant is located, and (2) restaurants located in socially vulnerable areas attract more customers in total, more customers from local areas, and more customers from other socially vulnerable areas. These results confirm the relevance of the SDMB to the community food environment, and suggest ways that the SDMB can be moderated by an uneven socio-economic landscape. The findings demonstrate the necessity of incorporating human-mobility data into the study of the community food environment.
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Kegler MC, Raskind IG, Bundy ŁT, Owolabi S, Veluswamy JK, Hernandez C, Hodge T, Haardörfer R. Barriers to Creating Healthier Home Food Environments: Process Evaluation Results From 2 Home Food Environment Intervention Studies. FAMILY & COMMUNITY HEALTH 2022; 45:247-256. [PMID: 35536715 PMCID: PMC9391264 DOI: 10.1097/fch.0000000000000335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have identified barriers to creating a home environment more supportive of healthy eating. We examined barriers faced by participants in a randomized controlled trial and an adaptation study of the Healthy Homes/Healthy Families intervention, which uses health coaches to support low-income families in creating healthier home food environments. Coaches maintained logs of participant interactions as part of a process evaluation. We thematically analyzed logs from interactions with participants, mostly lower-income African American women (n = 114), to identify barriers for each of 8 healthy actions that serve as core elements of the intervention. Difficulty of changing current habits was a barrier for 5 of the healthy actions. No time/convenience and limited family support each influenced 2 of the healthy actions, with interpersonal barriers also stemming from social situations and visitors, including grandchildren. Cost and economic challenges were barriers for 3 of the actions. Hunger, cravings, and limited access to resources (eg, transportation, fresh fruits and vegetables) were each noted as barriers for 1 healthy action. Overall, these findings provide insight for how to better support families who are trying to improve their home food environments and highlight the need for multilevel interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle C Kegler
- Emory Prevention Research Center, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia (Drs Kegler and Haardörfer and Mss Bundy, Owolabi, and Hernandez); Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Stanford, California (Dr Raskind); and Horizons Community Solutions, Albany, Georgia (Mss Veluswamy and Hodge)
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Cervigni E, Hickling S, Olaru D. Using aggregated mobile phone location data to compare the realised foodscapes of different socio-economic groups. Health Place 2022; 75:102786. [PMID: 35313208 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The foodscape (the built food environment) is considered one of the driving factors of the higher burden of obesity and chronic disease observed in low socio-economic status (SES) groups. Traditional data collection methods struggle to accurately capture actual access and exposure to the foodscape (realised foodscape). We assess the use of anonymised mobile phone location data (location data) in foodscape studies by applying them to a case study in Perth, Western Australia to test the hypothesis that lower SES groups have poorer realised foodscapes than high SES groups. Kernel density estimation was used to calculate realised foodscapes of different SES groups and home foodscape typologies, which were compared to home foodscapes of the different groups. The location data enabled us to measure realised foodscapes of multiple groups over an extended period and at the city scale. Low SES groups had poor availability of food outlets, including unhealthy outlets, in their home and realised foodscapes and may be more susceptible to a poor home foodscape because of low mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Cervigni
- School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Siobhan Hickling
- School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Doina Olaru
- Business School, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
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The Roots of Structural Racism in the United States and their Manifestations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Acad Radiol 2021; 28:893-902. [PMID: 33994077 DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2021.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disproportionate morbidity and mortality borne by racial minorities, patients of lower socioeconomic status, and patients lacking health insurance reflect pre-existing structural inequities. Structural racism is racial discrimination rooted in history, perpetuated through policies, and manifested in disparities in healthcare, housing, education, employment, and wealth. Although these disparities exert greater impacts on health outcomes than do genetics or behavior, scientists, and policy makers are only beginning to name structural racism as a key determinant of population health and take the necessary steps to dismantle it. In radiology, structural racism impacts how imaging services are utilized. Here we review the history and policies that contribute to structural racism and predispose minority and disadvantaged communities to inferior outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to identify policy changes that could promote more equitable access to radiologic services.
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