Into the (Food) Desert: A Food Desert Simulation

Objectives:

The US Department of Agriculture defines food deserts as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options. The lack of access contributes to a poor diet and can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.” The purpose of this case study was to demonstrate the increased economic cost (monetary and non-monetary) of maintaining a healthy diet in food desert.

Methods:

We used a participant-observer case study methodology. One of the authors restricted food intake to that which could be purchased in convenience stores for a 30 day period in order to simulate a food desert as defined by the USDA. Pre-/post lab tests were performed to capture changes in common clinical measures of health. The availability of fresh, healthy, and affordable food was documented and prices compared to larger grocery stores. The authors maintained a daily blog of the efforts.

Results:

The experiment concludes March 3, 2015. Initial results support the finding of higher economic costs, both in terms monetary (prices) and non-monetrary (effort) measures. However, health status is expected to remain neutral.

Conclusions:

The adverse health effects of food deserts can be offset by increased individual efforts, however sustaining such an effort is costly in both monetary and non-monetary terms.