Increase Food Access Research Articles

The effect of bigger human bodies on the future global calorie requirements.

Existing studies show how population growth and rising incomes will cause a massive increase in the future global demand for food. We add to the literature by estimating the potential effect of increases in human weight, caused by rising BMI and height, on future calorie requirements. Instead of using a market based approach, the estimations are solely based on human energy requirements for maintenance of weight. We develop four different scenarios to show the effect of increases in human height and BMI. In a world where the weight per age-sex group would stay stable, we project calorie requirements to increases by 61.05 percent between 2010 and 2100. Increases in BMI and height could add another 18.73 percentage points to this. This additional increase amounts to more than the combined calorie requirements of India and Nigeria in 2010. These increases would particularly affect Sub-Saharan African countries, which will already face massively rising calorie requirements due to the high population growth. The stark regional differences call for policies that increase food access in currently economically weak regions. Such policies should shift consumption away from energy dense foods that promote overweight and obesity, to avoid the direct burden associated with these conditions and reduce the increases in required calories. Supplying insufficient calories would not solve the problem but cause malnutrition in populations with weak access to food. As malnutrition is not reducing but promoting rises in BMI levels, this might even aggravate the situation.

Risk Factors Of Stunting Among Children Under 5 Years Of Age In The Eastern And Western Provinces Of Rwanda: Analysis Of Rwanda Demographic And Health Survey 2014/2015.

BackgroundStunting is one of the most public health burdens in Rwanda. Most deaths due to stunting are associated with inappropriate feeding practices that occur in the first 5 years of life. This study aimed at determining the risk factors for stunting in children under 5 years of age in the Eastern and Western provinces of Rwanda.MethodCross-sectional study using secondary data from Rwanda Demographic Health Survey 2014/2015.ResultsStunting was highly prevalent in eastern province compared to Western province. It was also highly prevalent in rural area in both provinces. Results indicated a significant association between maternal education and stunting (n{x^2}n=6.868; p=0.001), maternal age group (n{x^2}n=15.44; p=0.017), maternal occupation (n{x^2}n=30.012; p=0.000), wealth index (n{x^2}n=14.327; p=0.006), sex of child (n{x^2}n=2.91; p=0.008) and giving child fortified food (n{x^2}n=4.256; p=0.039). Results indicated that antenatal care visits were significantly associated with stunting (n{x^2}n=6.653; p=0.01). Sharing a toilet was significantly associated with stunting (n{x^2}n=25.88; p=0.000). Multiple logistic regression indicated that the gender of child [OR=1.08; 95% CI (1.057–1.093), p=0.008], household wealth index [OR=0.386; 95% CI (0.357–0.414)] and breastfeeding [OR=0.02; 95% CI (0.004–0.036), p=0.013] were the risk factors of stunting in eastern and western provinces.ConclusionImmediate and appropriate interventions targeted at community management of acute malnutrition and stunting are needed to manage the associated morbidity and mortality. Strengthening the health system for improving child health through prioritizing maternal and child by addressing poverty and increase food access is mostly needed. These tactics yield more sustainable improvement in child nutrition within Eastern and Western provinces.

“Building a Bigger Table”: Mobilizing Social Capital to Develop a Community Food Resource Center

Traditional food initiatives often aim to increase food access through market‐based, needs‐driven models, leaving basic food requirements unmet for many in the current U.S. food system. Employing qualitative community‐based participatory methods, we examine the asset‐based developmental stages of a local‐level Food and Resource Center (FRC) in rural Stillwater, OK. We consider the ways that social capital can be activated as a community asset for development, articulating how social networks are used to identify, mobilize, and galvanize community support. How has the community identified and mobilized a “stock” of social capital to employ an asset‐based approach to developing a food resource center? How can the FRC enhance social capital for the community as a whole? We provide insight into how individual, agency, and institutional actors act as pivotal resources for community development, delineating the ways in which community social capital and asset‐based development can influence an organization's operational goals. Additionally, we explore strategies used to enhance linking and bonding forms of social capital as well as obstacles to bridging social capital in the broader community.

Produce to the People: Increasing Food Access and Physical Activity in Appalachian Kentucky

describe the role of a physical activity and food access program in overcoming barriers to healthy lifestyle behaviors among rural Appalachians

Food System Solutions to Address Food Security and Local Economic Development: The Case of Food Hubs in the Northeastern United States

Socioeconomic inequalities and natural resource exploitation reflect the limitations of how the current food system functions. Global and local conceptual categories are used to describe two alternatives that are shaping the way food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed. In the United States, food hubs are seen as a model that is able to scale up local and regional food systems in the face of the negative consequences generated by the dominant globally oriented system. Although food security and economic development are the main desirable outcomes for any food system initiative, not much research has been done about how food hubs contribute to these two interrelated key issues. In this study, the research questions have been narrowed down by taking into account the four dimensions through which food security is commonly framed (availability, access, utilization, and stability) and the seven drivers of the community wealth building approach to economic development (ownership, place, multipliers, collaboration, inclusion, workforce, and system). Seven food hubs operating in the Northeastern U.S. were surveyed. Qualitative information was collected about their activities in accordance with the dimensions and drivers included in the adopted conceptual framework. The results suggested that food hubs that operate as business incubators and food processing facilities are involved in several wealth building strategies. Nonetheless, food hubs cannot generally be considered a stand-alone policy to increase food access for underserved social groups.

Evaluating the Impact of Improving Access on Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in a Rural Community in Texas: A Modeling Study.

Purpose: Most residents in rural regions of the United States consume fewer amounts of fruits and vegetables (FVs) compared with their urban counterparts. Difficulties in access to FVs often contribute to different consumption patterns in rural regions, aside from a lack of education or motivation for eating healthy foods. This article uses simulation methods to estimate the relationship between increasing food access and FV consumption levels in a targeted rural community.Methods: An agent-based model previously developed to predict individual dietary behaviors was used. We adapted it to a rural community in west Texas following a two-step process. First, we validated the model with observed data. Second, we simulated the impact of increasing access on FV consumption. We estimated model parameters from the 2010 census and other sources.Results: We found that decreasing the driving distance to FV outlets would increase FV consumption in the community. For example, a one-mile decrease in driving distance to the nearest FV store could lead to an 8.9% increase in FV consumption; a five-mile decrease in driving distance could lead to a 25% increase in FV consumption in the community. We found that the highest marginal increase in FV consumption was when the driving distance decreased from 3.5 miles to 3 miles.Conclusions: Analysis to inform policy alternatives is a challenge in rural settings due to lack of data. This study highlights the potential of simulation modeling to inform and analyze policy alternatives in settings with scarce data. The findings from modeling can be used to evaluate alternative policies in addressing chronic diseases through dietary interventions in rural regions.

Wish you were here? The prevalence of farmers markets in food deserts: an examination of the United States

ABSTRACTFood deserts have received considerable attention in recent years. Research has shown that individuals living in these areas have less nutritional diets and experience worse health outcomes compared with those not living in food deserts. Though the ramifications of living in food deserts are well known, less is known about efforts to alleviate these effects. One proposal for increasing food access while improving nutrition is the farmers market. While the farmers market has been championed as a potential solution and celebrated when it succeeds, little work has explored how often farmers markets are in food deserts nationally. This article explores this by using data from the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Community Survey. Results suggest that though much praise is given toward the promise of farmers markets in food deserts they are infrequently found there. This research contributes to illuminating the present state of US food deserts and proposes several questions about the efficacy of farmers markets as a tool to alleviate the impacts within food deserts.

Does adopting legume-based cropping practices improve the food security of small-scale farm households? Panel survey evidence from Zambia

This study provides empirical evidence on whether and how integrating legumes into production systems affects measures of small-scale farm households’ food availability and access. We used nationally representative household panel survey data from Zambia to estimate the differential effects on cereal-growing households of incorporating grain legumes into their farms via cereal-legume intercropping, cereal-legume rotation, and other means (such as legume monocropping). Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that with all else equal, cereal-growing small-scale farm households that integrate grain legumes into their production systems have: (1) more availability of food as measured by total production of calories and protein; (2) more income from crop production or sales; and (3) increased food access. Results suggest that cereal-legume rotation was associated with statistically significant increases in production of calories and protein by a household as well as their gross value of crop sales; it may also improve their food access. In contrast, we found little evidence of statistically significant effects of cereal-legume intercropping and other forms of legume production on household food availability and access in Zambia.

Food Preferences and Coping Strategies among Diabetic and Nondiabetic Households Served by US Food Pantries

ABSTRACTLimited access to healthy food caused by food insecurity makes diabetes mellitus (DM) self-management more challenging. Using data from Hunger in America 2014 (n = 60,122 US food pantry users), we sought to understand food preferences and coping strategy utilization (e.g., choosing between paying for food and medical care) among households seeking assistance from US food pantries with and without DM members. The prevalence of wanting and not obtaining fruits, vegetables, dairy, and protein was high among all households. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, households with DM members were more likely to want and not obtain fruits, vegetables, and dairy, and were also more likely to use several coping strategies to increase food access, compared to households without DM members. These results highlight the high demand for healthy food items among clients from US food pantries, particularly among households with DM, as well as the extra burden DM may place on food insecure households.

Food Waste and Food Retail Density

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the relationship between food retail density and municipal solid waste. We test for correlations between the volume of solid waste and the number of food-at-home retailers (e.g., grocery stores) and food-away-from-home retailers (e.g., restaurants) at the county level in the state of Mississippi over 2007–2012. Since food scraps comprise the largest share of post-recycling municipal solid waste in the United States, we control for the overall level of economic activity to account for other sources of solid waste, as well as demographic factors, county, and time effects. We find that increases in food-at-home retailer density are negatively correlated with solid waste volume. Conversely, we find that increases in the number of food-away-from-home retailers lead to more waste. While we do not explicitly investigate the mechanisms, we discuss possible avenues such as increased food access in the case of food at home, and increased portion sizes and substitutability in the case of food away from home.

Ensuring food secure cities – Retail modernization and policy implications in Nairobi, Kenya

Retail modernization with the influx of supermarkets is drastically changing the retail environment in many developing countries, especially in the face of rapid urbanization. In Nairobi, Kenya, the expansion of supermarkets has advanced much more compared to many other African cities with the Kenyan Government strongly promoting the retail modernization. In this study, we assess the impact of the pursued retail modernization on urban food access. The study reveals the limitations of using the supermarketization as a market solution to urban food insecurity. Supermarkets increase food access mainly for the higher income – and already food secure – consumers in the city, while the poor and food insecure are largely excluded from patronizing supermarkets and rely on the informal market. The study concludes by suggesting that food policies must embrace a new conceptualization of the food retail sector in which both formal and informal retailers coexist. Such more holistic food policies that stem from a food systems perspective are needed to build an inclusive urban food system that can tackle prevalent food insecurity in Nairobi. Although the research focused on Nairobi, the findings are of broader relevance to urban centers in the global South.

Freshmen at a University in Appalachia Experience a Higher Rate of Campus than Family Food Insecurity.

Food insecurity means having limited or uncertain access, in socially acceptable ways, to an adequate and safe food supply. Ample evidence has identified college students as vulnerable to this problem, but little research has focused on freshmen. This cross-sectional study examined family and campus food insecurity among freshmen at a university in Appalachia. An online questionnaire contained sociodemographic items and scales that measured food security status, academic progress, coping strategies for accessing food, and social support. T-tests and Chi square analyses compared food insecure and food secure students. Statistical significance was p < .05. Participants were 456 freshmen, 118 males (26%) and 331 females (73%). Family and campus food insecurity were experienced by 32 (7.1%) and 98 (21.5%) of the freshmen, respectively, and 42.5% of those who experienced campus food insecurity believed their food access had worsened since starting college. Family and campus coping strategies, respectively, included stretching food (72.9 vs. 18.4%) and purchasing cheap, processed food (68.8 vs. 16.3%). Food secure students scored significantly higher on self-rated measures of academic progress (p < .01), and greater proportions of food secure students (60.7 vs. 43.9%, p < .01) perceived their eating habits since starting college as "healthy/very healthy," and perceived their health status as "good/excellent" (86.0 vs. 71.4%, p < .01). Students requested assistance with job opportunities (19.4%), affordable meal plans (18.4%), money management (13.3%), and eating healthy (11.2%). Findings suggest that college student food insecurity begins during the freshmen year, and that there is a need for campus and community-based interventions to increase food access among these freshmen and their families.

Listening local: Community perceptions of fresh food resources in Greater Little Rock

AbstractA research team from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service partnered with community stakeholders to study fresh food access in Central Arkansas. The purpose of this study was to inform decision making on options to reduce food insecurity in two target neighborhoods. The study included three components: (a) interviews at food pantries, (b) online surveys with local experts, and (c) asset mapping of the healthy food resources in the target neighborhoods. Findings reveal that cost and transportation present barriers to fresh food access in the target neighborhoods. Furthermore, residents support mobile markets and community gardens as viable options for increasing food access. The process of understanding food insecurity discussed in this study can provide a model for other communities in addressing urban food security issues. Each community is unique; thus, community based research should be undertaken in the community prior to interventions that address food access and nutrition.

Facilitating (?) urban agriculture in Philadelphia: sustainability narratives in the inequitable city

ABSTRACTIn 2008, the city of Philadelphia made increasing healthy food access a priority for sustainable development. Recognising that almost 25% of the population are considered food insecure, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and community leaders sought to increase food access through increasing food production and access to land in the city. Urban agriculture has gradually been incorporated in sustainability narratives in the past decade, both providing a platform for advocates to inform on policymaking, and potentially stripping away the political and activist origins of gaining access to food, land and green spaces in the city. In this paper, we argue that the depoliticising of urban agriculture advocacy through its incorporation in sustainability planning may serve to increase existing inequities in the city. Focusing on the policy-making scale, we examine measures enacted under the Philadelphia Greenworks Sustainability Plan to facilitate urban agriculture in the city. Our preliminary findings suggest that the processes by which urban agriculture gains acceptance demonstrate a disconnect in urban agriculture advocacy and policymaking and further work is needed to understand the impacts of the formalising of urban agriculture in Philadelphia.

EBT Payment for Online Grocery Orders: a Mixed-Methods Study to Understand Its Uptake among SNAP Recipients and the Barriers to and Motivators for Its Use

ObjectiveTo examine Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients' use of the first online supermarket accepting Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) payment. MethodsIn this mixed-methods study, the authors collected EBT purchase data from an online grocer and attempted a randomized controlled trial in the South Bronx, New York City, followed by focus groups with SNAP beneficiaries aged ≥18 years. Participants were randomized to shop at their usual grocery store or an online supermarket for 3 months. Focus groups explored barriers and motivators to online EBT redemption. ResultsFew participants made online purchases, even when incentivized in the randomized controlled trial. Qualitative findings highlighted a lack of perceived control over the online food selection process as a key barrier to purchasing food online. Motivators included fast, free shipping and discounts. Conclusions and ImplicationsElectronic Benefit Transfer for online grocery purchases has the potential to increase food access among SNAP beneficiaries, but challenges exist to this new food buying option. Understanding online food shopping barriers and motivators is critical to the success of policies targeting the online expansion of SNAP benefits.

Remembering food insecurity: Low-income parents’ perspectives on childhood experiences and implications for measurement

The objective of this study was to explore how low-income parents recall and describe childhood experiences with food insecurity. Little is known about how adults remember food insecurity experienced in childhood, yet there are potential implications for subsequent behavior including parents' willingness and ability to adopt recommended child feeding practices. To guide development of a measure of previous childhood food insecurity for research and screening purposes, we conducted interviews exploring parents' emic perspectives on these early life course experiences and reactions to potential survey items. A diverse group of 27 low-income mothers in New York State was interviewed in depth; data were coded and analyzed qualitatively for emergent themes. In recounting childhood memories, participants expressed strong emotions and strove to portray their parents positively, emphasizing that parents did their best to ensure that children “always had something to eat.” Rather than dwell on food insecurity, participants preferred to share memories of family strategies to mitigate food shortages (e.g., asking relatives for money, “stretching” meals). Participants' memories of these strategies to increase food access and acceptability and adequacy of meals were summarized in a framework integrating key themes. The emotional salience of childhood food insecurity memories suggests that these experiences could have significant implications for parental adoption of child feeding recommendations and should be considered when designing nutrition interventions. Measurement challenges identified included adults’ limited recall and awareness of food insecurity during childhood, stigma, and desire to portray parents positively. Qualitative analysis of rich, emic data on food insecurity experiences offered insights on the most relevant constructs to address in survey measures of this potential antecedent of current practices.

Food Waste and Food Retail Density

This paper examines the relationship between food retail density and municipal solid waste. We test for correlations between the volume of solid waste and the number of food-at-home retailers (e.g., grocery stores) and food-away-from-home retailers (e.g., restaurants) at the county level in the state of Mississippi over 2007-2012. Since food scraps comprise the largest share of post-recycling municipal solid waste in the United States, we control for the overall level of economic activity to account for other sources of solid waste, as well as demographic factors, county and time effects. We find increases in food-at-home retailer density is negatively correlated with solid waste volume. Conversely, we find increases in the number of food-away-from-home retailers leads to more waste. While we do not explicitly investigate the mechanisms, we discuss possible avenues such as increased food access in the case of food at home, and increased portion sizes and substitutability in the case of food away from home.

Examining the relationship between the food environment and adult diabetes prevalence by county economic and racial composition: an ecological study

BackgroundInequitable access to healthy food may contribute to health disparities. This study examines the relationship between the prevalence of adult diabetes and food access in the U.S. by county economic/racial composition.MethodsAn ecological study from 2012 was used to estimate the relationship between diabetes and retail food outlet access. County diabetes prevalence was measured based on individual responses to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey question, “Have you ever been told by a doctor that you have diabetes?” If the answer was “yes” individuals were classified as having diabetes. Retail food outlets included grocery stores, supercenters, farmer’s markets, full-service restaurants, fast food restaurants and convenience stores. Counties were categorized as “high-poverty” or “low-poverty”. Counties were categorized as low (< 4.6%), medium (4.6%–31.0%), and high (> 31.0%) percent minority residents. Multiple linear regression models estimated the association between retail food outlets and diabetes, controlling for confounders, and testing for interactions between retail food outlets and county racial composition. Regression models were conditioned on county economic composition. Data were analyzed in 2016.ResultsDensity of retail foods outlets varied greatly by county economic and racial composition; counties with medium-minority populations had the least access to grocery stores and the highest access to fast food restaurants and convenience stores. Low poverty/low-minority population counties had the greatest access to farmer’s markets and grocery stores. For low poverty/low-minority counties, grocery stores were associated with decreased of diabetes prevalence. Supercenters were associated with an increase in diabetes prevalence for high-poverty/low-minority counties. Only low poverty/medium-minority counties had a statistically significant relationship between farmer’s markets and diabetes prevalence. Fast food restaurants were found to be positively associated with diabetes prevalence in all counties except high poverty/medium-minority. However, only low poverty/low-minority counties had a statistically significant relationship. Across all models, access to full service restaurants were significantly associated with lower prevalence of diabetes. Generally, access to convenience stores were associated with increased diabetes prevalence, except for high poverty/low-minority counties.ConclusionsThe food environment is more strongly associated with diabetes prevalence for wealthier counties with a lower proportion of minority residents. This is important given efforts to increase food access in vulnerable communities. Availability of healthier food may not be enough to change health outcomes.

Farm Fresh Food Boxes: Increasing Food Access in Rural Communities through New Markets for Farmers and Retailers

Farm Fresh Food Boxes: Increasing Food Access in Rural Communities through New Markets for Farmers and Retailers

Characterizing Rural Food Access in Remote Areas.

Residents of rural areas may have limited access to healthy foods, leading to higher incidence of diet related health issues. Smaller grocers in rural areas experience challenges in maintaining fresh produce and other healthy foods available for customers. This study assessed the rural food environment in northeast Lower Michigan in order to inform healthy food financing projects such as the Michigan Good Food Fund. The area's retail food businesses were categorized using secondary licensing, business, and nutrition program databases. Twenty of these stores were visited in person to verify the validity of the categories created, and to assess the availability of healthy foods in their aisles. In-depth interviews with key informants were carried out with store owners, economic development personnel, and other food system stakeholders having knowledge about food access, in order to learn more about the specific challenges that the area faces. Out-shopping, seasonality, and economic challenges were found to affect healthy food availability. Mid-sized independent stores were generally found to have a larger selection of healthy foods, but smaller rural groceries also have potential to provide fresh produce and increase food access. Potential healthy food financing projects are described and areas in need of further research are identified.