Abstract
Little is known about the spatial challenges to good nutrition faced by seniors who reside in rural areas and how spatial access influences fruit and vegetable intake. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the associations among individual and neighborhood characteristics, perceived and objective measures of food access, and fruit and vegetable intake of 589 rural seniors in Texas who participated in the 2006 Brazos Valley Health Assessment. Our analyses revealed that increased distance to the nearest supermarket, food store with a good variety of fresh and processed fruit, or food store with a good variety of fresh and processed vegetables was associated with decreased daily consumption of fruit and vegetables, after controlling for the influence of individual characteristics and perceptions of community and home food resources. Findings suggest that interventions designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among rural seniors should consider strategies to ameliorate differential access to healthy food due to food store distance.
Highlights
The importance of fruit and vegetable consumption to health has been well established, few studies have focused on access to fruits and vegetables in rural areas; even fewer examined the relationship between food access and fruit and vegetable consumption among seniors
Findings suggest that interventions designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among rural seniors should consider strategies to ameliorate differential access to healthy food due to food store distance
Sample characteristics between the analytic sample of 582 seniors who completed all nutrition-related questions in the Brazos Valley Health Assessment (BVHA) and the 663 rural seniors who returned surveys were not significantly different
Summary
The importance of fruit and vegetable consumption to health has been well established, few studies have focused on access to fruits and vegetables in rural areas; even fewer examined the relationship between food access and fruit and vegetable consumption among seniors. The percentage of older adults with nutrition-related health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers has been increasing [1]. Healthy eating, such as the consumption of fruit and vegetables is recognized as one modifiable determinant for the prevention and management of chronic health. Only a limited number of studies focused on environmental factors and their influence on access to food among rural populations [4753], and none were found examining environmental barriers to healthy foods among older adults in rural areas
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