Measuring the Food Environment of the East Lubbock Community by Using Geographic Information System

Abstract

ObjectiveThe East Lubbock is a low-income and ethnic minority community that might have a greater difficulty meeting dietary guidelines, setting the community at greater risk for health problems. The objective of the study was to investigate the East Lubbock community food environment by examining accessibility and availability of food outlets.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsGeographic Information System (GIS) was used to map all food outlets in the City of Lubbock and analyze spatial relationships of these locations in relation to neighborhood centroids. A list of all food outlets (n=1,524) provided by the City of Lubbock were classified into six categories including supermarket, grocery, convenience, specialty, full-service restaurants, and fast foods on the basis of North American Industry Classification System's definition. A series of maps were created using a GIS mapping system.Outcome Measures and AnalysisThree population-weighted centroids were mapped in the East Lubbock from which accessibility and availability to food outlets were measured (i.e. by distance, driving time, walking time, and public transportation).ResultsFindings indicated that East Lubbock Community residents required traveling farther to access certain food outlets than did other Lubbock residents and lack of accessible public transportation contributed to fewer food locations within the same distance as for other Lubbock neighborhoods. Supermarkets were inaccessible to residents up to 0.5 miles, while fast food restaurants were accessible to about half of the population in this same distance. All residents were able to reach each of the six classified food outlets within 10 minutes driving time.Conclusions and ImplicationsOutcomes will be utilized to improve public health policies in Lubbock city.FundingU.S. Department of Education ObjectiveThe East Lubbock is a low-income and ethnic minority community that might have a greater difficulty meeting dietary guidelines, setting the community at greater risk for health problems. The objective of the study was to investigate the East Lubbock community food environment by examining accessibility and availability of food outlets. The East Lubbock is a low-income and ethnic minority community that might have a greater difficulty meeting dietary guidelines, setting the community at greater risk for health problems. The objective of the study was to investigate the East Lubbock community food environment by examining accessibility and availability of food outlets. Design, Setting, and ParticipantsGeographic Information System (GIS) was used to map all food outlets in the City of Lubbock and analyze spatial relationships of these locations in relation to neighborhood centroids. A list of all food outlets (n=1,524) provided by the City of Lubbock were classified into six categories including supermarket, grocery, convenience, specialty, full-service restaurants, and fast foods on the basis of North American Industry Classification System's definition. A series of maps were created using a GIS mapping system. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to map all food outlets in the City of Lubbock and analyze spatial relationships of these locations in relation to neighborhood centroids. A list of all food outlets (n=1,524) provided by the City of Lubbock were classified into six categories including supermarket, grocery, convenience, specialty, full-service restaurants, and fast foods on the basis of North American Industry Classification System's definition. A series of maps were created using a GIS mapping system. Outcome Measures and AnalysisThree population-weighted centroids were mapped in the East Lubbock from which accessibility and availability to food outlets were measured (i.e. by distance, driving time, walking time, and public transportation). Three population-weighted centroids were mapped in the East Lubbock from which accessibility and availability to food outlets were measured (i.e. by distance, driving time, walking time, and public transportation). ResultsFindings indicated that East Lubbock Community residents required traveling farther to access certain food outlets than did other Lubbock residents and lack of accessible public transportation contributed to fewer food locations within the same distance as for other Lubbock neighborhoods. Supermarkets were inaccessible to residents up to 0.5 miles, while fast food restaurants were accessible to about half of the population in this same distance. All residents were able to reach each of the six classified food outlets within 10 minutes driving time. Findings indicated that East Lubbock Community residents required traveling farther to access certain food outlets than did other Lubbock residents and lack of accessible public transportation contributed to fewer food locations within the same distance as for other Lubbock neighborhoods. Supermarkets were inaccessible to residents up to 0.5 miles, while fast food restaurants were accessible to about half of the population in this same distance. All residents were able to reach each of the six classified food outlets within 10 minutes driving time. Conclusions and ImplicationsOutcomes will be utilized to improve public health policies in Lubbock city. Outcomes will be utilized to improve public health policies in Lubbock city.