Some 10% of US households report food insecurity, and twice as many urban, minority, and single-parent households report food insecurity. While many studies have documented the household and individual characteristics of the food insecure, very little research has investigated the community context of food insecurity. In this paper, we evaluate two methodologies for measuring food access at in small urban areas. Cumulative measures such as number of grocers within 0.5 miles are commonly used to evalaute food accessibility. Potential models, to our knowledge, have not been used to systematically evaluate food accessibility. We discuss the results of a potential analysis of food supply, demand and ratio of supply to demand in Durham, NC. We found that the potential demand for retail food (supermarkets, convenience stores) was highly correlated (R-sq=0.93) and that the supply of retail food was poorly correlated (R-sq=0.05). Furthermore, accessibility of convenience stores and emergency food providers is well correlated (R-sq=0.93). Accesibility of fast food restaurants and emergency food providers is significantly predicted by median household income in regression models.
Learning Objectives: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of cumulative and potential measures of food access.
Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Food Security
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.