Influence of the Local Food Environment on Hispanics’ Perceptions of Healthy Food Access in New York City

Abstract

Introduction: Studies have characterized food environments and documented its impact on access and consumption of healthy foods as well as diet-related health conditions. This study aims to characterize the local food environment in New York City’s Washington Heights and Inwood community and to examine its influence on Hispanics’ perceptions of healthy food access. Methods: Person-level local food environments were created by spatially modeling food retailers selling fresh fruits and vege- tables or low-fat products within a participant’s 400- and 800-m residential radius buffers. Data were analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regression. Results: Fruit/vegetable markets significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the availability of a large selection as well as the high quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood. Medium-/large-size super- markets/groceries within 400-m radius significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the high quality of fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood, whereas meat markets significantly lowered the odds. Fruit/vegetable markets and medium-/ large-size supermarkets/groceries significantly increased participants’ odds of perceiving the availability of a large selection of low- fat products in their neighborhood. Conclusion: Study findings advance our understanding of the relationships between local food environment and perceived healthy food access among urban Hispanics