Community Food Security of the Southeastern Appalachian Region of Ohio

Abstract

Community food security (CFS) is “a situation in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes self-reliance and social justice (Hamm, 2003),” without resorting to emergency food sources (Gottlieb, 1996). There is a paucity of data available on the CFS of regions in the United States (U.S.), including Appalachian Ohio. In order to better understand U.S. communities, their resources, and their needs, CFS must be explored. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the CFS of the Southeastern region of Appalachian Ohio using the methods of Lopez and Tchumtchoua (2005). Thirty-eight indicators of CFS were measured in the largest areas of census (cities, towns, townships) in the study region and included general community characteristics (population density, percent of female households), community food resources (participation in Federal food assistance programs, number of supermarkets and convenience stores per capita), community resource accessibility (income, available transportation), and community food production (farmland usage, community supported agriculture). These data were obtained from U.S. Bureau of Census, State of Ohio, and Ohio county governments. Descriptive and inferential statistics were tabulated using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (Chicago, IL). Prior to this study, no research had been conducted in this region regarding CFS. This study will promote a better understanding of CFS in Appalachian Ohio and fill a gap in the CFS literature.