Justice Served Fresh: Associations between Food Insecurity, Community Gardening, and Property Value

Numerous stakeholders in Nevada have used a variety of efforts to combat the growth of food insecurity facing Nevadans. The purpose of this research project is to understand the association between food insecurity, community gardens, and property value. Following the wealth of scholarship on these topics and data collected from community garden agencies in Southern Nevada, the research questions for this project include: (1) Where are community gardens located in SNV? (2) What efforts community gardens agencies are doing to address food insecurity (most interested in their efforts using community gardens)? (3) What are the perceptions of supports and barriers to using gardening as a tool to address food insecurity? (4) If any, were there any changes in housing values after the implementation of community gardens (using existing, publicly available data sets)? (5) What are community gardens perceptions on changes in property values after the implementation of community gardens? After conducting interviews with key community garden stakeholders in Southern Nevada. The results of this study will be beneficial to understanding how at-risk communities can address food insecurity and build community involvement, while avoiding displacement from green gentrification

Employment and Economic Development in Southern Nevada

Wealth influences a person’s health. People who are higher on the socioeconomic scale tend to have better health outcomes. To improve the health of a community, it is important to understand the employment opportunities of the people living in the community. Southern Nevada’s economy was hit hard between 2008 and 2012. Unemployment rates in the region exceeded national and peer regions between during this time period. Construction; leisure and hospitality; trade, transportation and utilities; and professional and business service sectors experienced the greatest job loss during the recession. The Education and Health Services sectors did not experience a decrease in the number of employees during the recession. With the economic recession, Clark County experienced a decrease in tourism; however, activity in this sector increased in 2011 compared to 2010. All occupational categories are projected to have positive growth between 2010 and 2020 with a combined growth projection of 11.4% during the decade. The region’s working age population has a lower level of educational attainment compared to peer regions. This might be because 38.2% of occupations require less than a high school diploma and 43.1% require a high school diploma or equivalent in the region. The Education and Health Services industry sector did not experience a decrease in the number of employees during the recession and healthcare is one of the segments projected to have significant growth in the next decade

Environmental Health in Southern Nevada

There are a multitude of environmental factors that influence public health. The purpose of this manuscript is to evaluate the Southern Nevada community with respect to environmental conditions and health, including both positive and negative traits, and develop realistic goals and strategies aimed at improving these conditions. Southern Nevada is located in one of the most arid regions of North America. Since annual rainfall averages less than four inches per year, Southern Nevada depends upon the Colorado River for its water supply. It is predicted that water flow to the area will decrease by 5% to 20% by 2050. As a result, efforts to reduce consumptive water use (use of water that is permanently withdrawn and not returned to the source) were employed and have been effective at reducing consumptive water use by 21 billion gallons annually. Access to quality water is a fundamental determinant of health, and the water quality of Southern Nevada continues to meet safe drinking water standards set by the EPA. Air quality is another important determinant of population health and sustainability. Between 2009 and 2011, the region had 36 days in which the ozone levels were considered dangerous and 2 days in which the particulate pollution (PM 2.5) were considered dangerous. The six Criteria Air Pollutants defined in the Clean Air Act, have declined consistently in the region since the mid 1990’s. Due to the increase in population and changing landscape, parts of Southern Nevada are considered urban heat islands, or urban areas with higher temperatures than rural areas. On average, the regions temperature has risen four degrees Fahrenheit in four decades. Based on the existing conditions, a number of goals and strategies aimed at promoting environmental health and sustainability were developed as part of the Southern Nevada Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (SNvRPSD); a single, integrated and consolidated plan that will promote and guide sustainable regional development in Southern Nevada over the next 20 years

The Environmental Impact and Formation of Meals from the Pilot Year of a Las Vegas Convention Food Rescue Program

Annually, millions of tonnes of leftover edible foods are sent to landfill. Not only does this harm the environment by increasing the release of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change, but it poses a question of ethics given that nearly 16 million households are food insecure in the US, and hundreds of millions of people around the globe. The purpose of this study was to document the amount of food diverted from landfill in the pilot year of a convention food rescue program and to determine the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided by the diversion of such food. In the pilot year of the convention food rescue program 24,703 kg of food were diverted. It is estimated that 108 metric tonnes of GHG emmisions were avoided as a result, while 45,383 meals for food insecure individuals were produced. These findings have significant implications for public and environmental health, as GHG emissions have a destructive effect on the earth’s atmosphere and rescued food can be redistributed to food insecure individuals

Education and Educational Attainment in Southern Nevada

Failure to complete high school has a direct impact on a person’s earning potential and quality of life. Higher levels of education are associated with better health. Because of this association, it is important for children and adults to have access to quality education. The percentage of adults who have successfully pursued higher education in Southern Nevada is lower than the peer Mountain West metropolitan areas and the national average. Nevada high school graduation rates are the lowest in the nation. High school graduation rates and dropout rates vary by race/ethnicity in the Clark County School District. High school graduation rates for the Class of 2010 were the lowest for Native American/Alaskan Native, Black and Hispanic students. The highest graduation rates were for Asian and White students. Clark County ranks last in per pupil spending in Nevada. Clark County School District experienced budget cuts due to the economic recession. Cuts have resulted in increased pupil/teacher ratios. Southern Nevada has nine public and private universities or colleges and six career and technical institutions to support adult higher education and career development

Community Health Indicators in Southern Nevada

Community design and access to services are essential components of healthy and sustainable communities. The purpose of this manuscript is to evaluate Southern Nevada with respect to community design and access, including both positive and negative traits, and to suggest realistic changes that could be made to improve these conditions. The region’s network of parks and open space recreation areas is one of its strongest assets. Clark County enjoys over 42 million acres of federal and state lands which offer a large variety of recreational opportunities. The region has an extensive trail system, with a total of 179 miles of off road and multiuse trails, as well as over 300 miles of biking infrastructure. There are 39 recreational facilities and 24 libraries throughout the region. There are, however, fewer park acres per capita than the nationally recommended level and disparate access to those parks for low income census tracts. Southern Nevada has some significant issues related to food access, with 16 food deserts in Clark County and over 17% of the population, and 26.9% of children, experiencing food insecurity. There are a total of 289 grocery stores, supermarkets, and club stores, 593 convenience stores, and 1,089 fast food outlets (USDA ERS, 2012). Of all restaurants in Clark County, 59% are classified as fast food. In 2012 Nevada ranked second in the nation for violent crimes and Clark County ranked third within the state. Based on the existing conditions, a number of goals and strategies aimed at creating a healthy and sustainable community were developed as part of the Southern Nevada Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (SNvRPSD); a single, integrated and consolidated plan that will promote and guide sustainable regional development in Southern Nevada over the next 20 years

Analysis of Self-Reported Walking for Transit in a Sprawling Urban Metropolitan Area in the Western U.S.

Walkability is associated with increased levels of physical activity and improved health and sustainability. The sprawling design of many metropolitan areas of the western U.S., such as Las Vegas, influences their walkability. The purpose of this study was to consider sprawl characteristics along with well-known correlates of walkability to determine what factors influence self-reported minutes of active transportation. Residents from four neighborhoods in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, targeted for their high and low walkability scores, were surveyed for their perceptions of street-connectivity, residential-density, land-use mix, and retail–floor-area ratio and sprawl characteristics including distance between crosswalks, single-entry-communities, high-speed streets, shade, and access to transit. A Poisson model provided the best estimates for minutes of active transportation and explained 11.28% of the variance. The model that included sprawl characteristics resulted in a better estimate of minutes of active transportation compared to the model without them. The results indicate that increasing walkability in urban areas such as Las Vegas requires an explicit consideration of its sprawl characteristics. Not taking such design characteristics into account may result in the underestimation of the influence of sprawl on active transportation and may result in a missed opportunity to increase walking. Understanding the correlates of walkability at the local level is important in successfully promoting walking as a means to increase active transportation and improve community health and sustainability

An Examination of Walkability in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area

Introduction: The benefits to regular physical activity are well established. Walkability is one element of the built environment that has been correlated with increased levels of physical activity. The auto-centric design of Las Vegas Metropolitan area (LVMA) is unique in ways that may influence walkability. The purpose of this study was to determine which urban design characteristics are associated with walking and physical activity in moderate income neighborhoods in LVMA. Methods: The standard walkability measure developed by Frank et al. (2010) was used to calculate the walkability index of seven neighborhoods. Residents of the two most walkable and two least walkable neighborhoods were then surveyed on their walking and physical activity levels and perceptions of neighborhood design characteristics as barriers to walking. Logistic regression was used to determine what factors predicted meeting the recommended amount of physical activity. Results: A total of 147 survey responses were collected. A large percentage of residents agree that lack of shade, poor land use mix, and poor street connectivity is a barrier to walking for active transport and leisure. There were significant differences between neighborhoods in percentage of respondents agreeing that long distances between crosswalks and high speed streets were a barrier to walking for active transport and leisure. Logistic regression revealed that perceptions of the urban design characteristics in neither the standard walkability index, nor the index which included design characteristics unique to LVMA significantly predicted meeting the physical activity recommendations. Discussion: Results suggest that the auto-centric design of LVMA may be so unique that those factors which have been associated with walking in previous studies are not associated with walking in LVMA. Further analysis of both physical and social factors relating to walkability is necessary to determine what actions are needed to increase walking and physical activity in LVMA

Insights into How HIAs are Characterized in the Press: Findings from a Media Analysis of Widely Circulated United States Newspapers

Background: Health impact assessments (HIAs) are burgeoning tools in the policy arena, where media plays an important role by focusing attention on issues, informing the public, and influencing positions. Examining how media portrays HIAs is critical to understanding HIAs in the policy context. Methods: This study considered how widely circulated, U.S. newspapers represent HIAs. After searching newspaper databases, we used a qualitative document analysis method consisting of open and axial coding to examine specific phrases of HIA depictions. Results: In coding over 1,000 unique phrases from the 62 documents generated in our search, we found an uptick in HIA-related publications since 2010. Coding these documents identified 46 distinct codes across 10 different themes. The two most prominent HIA-centered themes focused on HIA engagement and the HIA setting. While themes of policy and science, health determinants, and explanations of HIAs were also frequently featured, specific mentions of projected impacts, HIA processes, HIA values, and health outcomes were less prevalent. Conclusion: HIA media portrayals warrant further inquiry by researchers and practitioners. Focusing on how media portrays HIAs is consistent with several HIA steps. It is also important for a broader strategy to educate stakeholders about HIAs and to understand HIAs’ utility. HIA practitioners should develop and implement guidelines for media interaction and tracking that encourage practitioners to seek additional media attention and to focus such attention on health impacts and outcomes, HIA recommendations, and HIA values. Building on our work, researchers should examine HIA media portrayals beyond the context of this study

Healthcare Access and Health Outcomes in Southern Nevada

In a publication from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, it was recognized that a person’s zip code was a more important predictor of health than their genetic code. Where we live influences not only our access to health care, but other health indicators as well. Clark County has a low primary care physician to population ratio compared to other counties in Nevada and in the US. Clark County also has highest rates of uninsured in the Mountain West and among the highest in the nation. Southern Nevada fared worse than other Mountain West Metropolitan areas in health indicators and preventative care. Compared to other Mountain West Metropolitan areas of Albuquerque, NM; Boise, IA; Colorado Springs, CO; Denver, CO; Ogden, UT; Phoenix, AZ; Provo-Orem, UT; Salt Lake City, UT and Tucson, AZ, the region had the highest rate of diabetes and people reporting fair or poor health. Clark county residents had a higher rate of smoking compared to the US median. Residents were less likely to exercise and had higher rates of heavy alcohol consumption compared to other Mountain West communities. Residents reported the lowest utilization of mammography, colonoscopy, flu vaccinations (adults 65+) and pneumonia vaccinations (adults 65+) in the Mountain West. The Black population had a higher mortality rate than other race/ethnicities in Clark County. In 2009, Clark County ranked 1st in Nevada for violent crime rates and second for property crime rates