Food desert and diabetes mortality and morbidity: Evidence from fulton county, Georgia

Food environments across the globe often play a crucial role in determining one's health status. Living in a food desert is not merely an inconvenience; it can be hazardous to health. Literature has demonstrated the fact that obesity and diabetes are two serious public health issues that can be associated with living in food deserts. The main purpose of the study is to highlight the importance of access to healthy food and its implications on diabetes health status. It examines whether there is a an association between lack of access to fresh food, large grocery stores or supermarkets in low income, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated food deserts in Fulton County, GA and the mortality and morbidity from diabetes among the residents. 9.1% (CI: 8.9-9.2%) of all the Fulton County residents, 18 years and over, suffer from diabetes (Georgia Department of Community Health). With the help of GIS tools, the study examines whether one's geographic location within the County influences health status measured by diabetes morbidity and mortality (1999-2010) in each census tract. It looks at factors such as household income, transportation and race/ethnicity in food deserts in Fulton County and determines whether there is a significant difference in diabetes morbidity and mortality across the County based on the above factors. This research is important because little information exists that discuss the prevalence of diabetes at the state and metro area level which is associated with lack of access to healthy food. With this data and information, key stakeholders can make informed decisions concerning diabetes, its impact on their communities and resource allocation.