142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Health Impact of Locating a Full Service Grocery in a Low Income Urban Neighborhood

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM

Suzanne Hancock, MPH , Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indianapolis, IN
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Avondale Meadows is a low income, African American neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has been designated a Food Desert area by the US Department of Agriculture. A Health Impact Assessment was conducted to determine potential health effects of locating a full-service grocery in the neighborhood and to inform neighborhood residents, redevelopers, and the Indianapolis City Council.

Methods:  Screening, scoping and key informant interview activities were conducted with neighborhood groups and stakeholders.  A literature search established the relationship between health and access to healthy foods.  Community health data was mined for baseline disease rates. Existing stores were assessed for healthy food using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey. A neighborhood survey discovered residents shopping patterns and potential changes if a grocery located nearby.

Results: The NEM-S survey indicated that Meadows residents’ access to healthy food was extremely low. The community survey illustrated that residents were shopping at stores located a considerable distance from their homes. Not owning a car and the cost of gas limited frequency of shopping trips and the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed. Community health data showed that disease rates for cardiovascular disease and diabetes were considerably higher than the county at large. The financial impact of excess disease was significant.

Conclusions:  The presence of a full-service grocery in Avondale Meadows would likely increase the frequency that residents shop, increase the amount of fresh produce they could consume, decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and decrease direct and indirect costs of these diseases.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention

Learning Objectives:
Describe the process of conducting a Health Impact Assessment to determine health effects of locating a grocery store in a food desert. Discuss the differences in health status of those living in a food desert as compared to residents of their county as a whole. Describe the relationship between proximity to fresh fruit and vegetable outlets and consumption of these foods. Compare fruit and vegetable availability in a food desert to the conditions described in the scientific literature as promoting fruit and vegetable consumption. Describe neighborhood residents' perceptions of their food environment and their preferences for fruit and vegetables.

Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Prevention, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was a member of the project team for this Health Impact Assessment, and have been trained formally and informally in the Health Impact Assessment process.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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