Carsey Institute Child Nutrition Briefings, Washington, D

Ward, Sally

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Finding and Affording Healthy Food in Rural AmericaStudy Results from New HampshireDr. Sally K. WardProfessor of Sociology &Interim Dean, University of New Hampshire at ManchesterThe Carsey InstituteJuly 22, 2010Food Deserts Geographic areas without food resources Distances used in research on food deserts One mile  (USDA) Five miles  (Carsey) Ten miles (Blanchard and Lyson)Food Insecurity Access to adequate food is limited By money By other resources In rural areas this is often TRANSPORTATIONLink to Health Food insecurity more likely in food deserts Among children, food insecurity linked with More frequent illness More frequent hospitalizations Iron deficiencies Poorer school performance Weaker social skills Overweight and obesityNationwide Statistics 23.5 million Americans live more than a mile from a supermarket (USDA, 2009) 418 rural food desert counties (Morton and Blanchard, 2007) All residents live more than 10 miles from a supermarket 20 percent of all rural counties 17 million households (14.6 percent) were food insecure in 2008 (USDA)Nationwide Statistics for Children In households with children, 21 percent were food insecure In rural counties (nonmetropolitan), 22 percent of households with children were food insecure(USDA estimates)Finding about Rural Food Deserts(Grocery Gap, The Food Trust)Key Findings in New Hampshire Grocery stores unevenly distributed Deficit in more rural parts of state Those same areas have higher rates of obesity, coronary heart disease, and diabetesAdditional Key Findings3.5% of population resides 5+ miles from a grocery storeLarger percentage in more rural areasMore than 1 in 10 households experience food insecuritySignificantly related to income and distance from grocery store0.1.2.3.4Probability of Food Insecurity     Less than $30,000      $30,000 to $44,999      $45,000 to $59,999      $60,000 to $74,999      $75,000 to $99,999      $100,000 or moreIncomeConditional Effect PlotThe Effect of Income on Food Insecurity.05.1.15.2.25.3Predicted Probability of Food Insecurity0 10 20 30 40Minutes to Grocery StoreConditional Effect PlotThe Effect of Distance from Grocery Store on Food InsecurityImplications for Rural Areas  NH is affluent, other rural areas are not so fortunate In higher poverty rural areas, food deserts more common In higher poverty rural areas, food insecurity more common In more rural areas, food deserts more commonWhite House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, 2009 data, USDA estimatesConclusions Rural families and children are more likely to live in a food desert Living in a food desert creates barriers to accessing healthy food Living in a food desert is associated with food insecurity Both are associated with poorer health outcomes

Finding and affording healthy food in rural America: study results from New Hampshire

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Finding and affording healthy food in rural America: study results from New Hampshire

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