joseph r. sharkey, phd mph rd scott horel, mag

Joseph R. Sharkey, PhD MPH RD

Scott Horel, MAG

Neighborhood Deprivation Neighborhood Deprivation and Locational and Locational

Disadvantage for Access Disadvantage for Access to the Food Store to the Food Store

Environment in Texas Environment in Texas ColoniasColonias

Areas of Persistent Poverty Rapidly growing area Much of population

increase into new developments - colonias

ColoniasImportant low-income housing

areasPrincipal characteristics

→ Cheaply acquired land→ Self-help dwelling construction→ Physical conditions improve over time→ Low-density settlements (ETJ)

Hispanic Older Adults Face Environmental Challenges

Food security

Healthful eating

Prevention and management of nutrition-related health conditions

Purpose

1. Assess the food environment in targeted colonia CBG

2. Examine association between neighborhood deprivation and locational disadvantage for food store access for older adults

Ground-Truthed Methods

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Food Stores(n = 422)

Gro

cery

/ S

up

erm

ark

et

Co

nve

nie

nce

S

tore

s

Dis

co

un

t

Sto

res

Sp

ecia

lty

Mar

kets

Bev

erag

e S

tore

s

Ph

arm

acie

s

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f al

l Fo

od

Sto

res

n = 18

n = 255

n = 37 n = 13n = 2

n = 97

5 sm 2 med

65% gas 47% fast food 23% grocery

27% mobile 31% F/V 35% baked

HidalgoGrocery Stores

Hidalgo Convenience Stores

Neighborhood Deprivation Concentrated neighborhood (Census

block group) disadvantage• Education <9 yr

• Unemployed

• Lack plumbing

• Lack kitchen

• No telephone

• Poverty

• Public assistance

Low, moderate, high, and very high deprivation

Neighborhood CharacteristicsHigh

Deprivation (47 CBG)

Very High Deprivation

(50 CBG)

Below poverty 25%-57% 28%-71%

Public assistance 2%-23% 4%-39%

Unemployed 2%-16% 0-18%

No telephone 0-13% 0-13%

Lack complete plumbing 0-12% 0-27%

Lack complete kitchen 0-16% 0-17%

<10th grade 32%-68% 47%-74%

No vehicle 3%-53% 3%-53%

Neighborhoods (CBG) ≥20% Older Adults

24% (n = 46)

60.0% of residents with no vehicle

34% lacked a complete kitchen

37% poverty

Locational Disadvantage

Distance from CBG centroid to nearest FS and FSP Spatial center of CBG Network distance

Separate for major types of FS and FSP Quartiles for low disadvantage to very high Combined grocery stores/supermarkets

and convenience into one measure of locational disadvantage to any FS

Locational Disadvantage

25% of older adults lived in neighborhoods 2.3-9.9 miles one-way to the nearest supermarket

14% of older adults lived in neighborhoods ≥1.3 miles one-way to the nearest convenience store

Deprivation and Location

3.4-14.9

1.4-4.8

Conclusion First step in understanding influence of food

environment on food choice and diet quality in Hispanic families who live in persistent poverty areas. Limited or non-existent public transportation Many residents do not have access to vehicle

Limited attention to environmental influence, despite food assistance programs.

Difficult to initiate or maintain healthful eating habits without access to healthful foods.

Essential to combine environmental approaches with traditional health individuals.

Preparation for policy change to strengthen food assistance programs, program delivery activities, or interventions to improve nutritional health should include an understanding of where people live and where they shop for food.

Acknowledgements

USDA RIDGE Program, Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University

Texas Healthy Aging Research Network (TxHAN) at SRPH