Community-level factors associated with geographic access to food retailers offering nutrition incentives in Chicago, Illinois

INTRODUCTION: Nutrition incentive programs provide low-income populations with a monetary resource to make healthy foods affordable and accessible. This study aimed to use geospatial analysis to evaluate availability of the Link Match nutrition incentive program in Chicago, Illinois, to determine whether underresourced communities have access. METHODS: We obtained 2018 spatial data on census tract-level sociodemographic characteristics in Chicago. Fifty-seven retailers (eg, farmers markets, food cooperatives) offered Link Match across the city\u27s 801 census tracts. We examined ordinary least squares and spatial lag regression models to identify census tract-level variables associated with distance (in miles) from the nearest Link Match retailer. Variables of interest included percentage of non-Hispanic Black residents, percentage of Hispanic residents, median household income, violent crime rate, per capita grocery store availability, and walkability. RESULTS: Most Link Match retailers were located on Chicago\u27s South and West sides. Ordinary least squares regression models indicated that low-income census tracts were on average closer to a Link Match retailer than higher-income tracts were (P \u3c .001). Tracts in the highest quartile of violent crime were also significantly closer to a Link Match retailer than tracts in the lowest quartile (P \u3c .001). After accounting for spatial dependency of census tracts, only violent crime rate was significantly associated with distance to nearest Link Match retailer. CONCLUSION: Link Match retailers in Chicago appear to be in underresourced communities. However, these areas have high violent crime rates, which may negatively influence program use. Additional research is needed on how social and environmental factors influence availability and use of nutrition incentive programs

Therapeutic landscapes and networks in restricted lives: Constructing restorative experiences among Indonesian female domestic workers in Hong Kong

This research explores the connections between therapeutic landscapes (TLs) and therapeutic networks (TNs) among women who work in domestic employment and experience severe space-time constraints in their everyday lives. Although these connections are often recognized, the links between TL and TN have not been widely investigated. Based on an online survey of 190 Indonesian female domestic workers (FDWs) in Hong Kong, therapeutic landscape locations were identified. Open-ended quotes describing characteristics and benefits of TL were analyzed via MAXQDA and incorporated in qualitative mapping in ArcGIS Pro 2.6. Results showed four types of therapeutic landscape (green spaces, blue spaces, religious sites, and built environment) that were crucial in enhancing FDWs’ wellbeing on their rest day. FDWs’ relationships with health-promoting places and efforts in creating restorative experiences were tied to their social interactions, as TNs and TLs were created synergistically. For the understudied population of FDWs, our findings highlight the importance of both the mandated rest day and public spaces including parks, beaches, and buildings, for sustaining FDWs wellbeing despite their highly restricted daily lives