Food environment in the Lower Mississippi Delta: food deserts, food swamps, and hot spots

Authors: Goodman, Melissa; Thomson, Jessica; LANDRY, ALICIA - University Of Central Arkansas

Submitted to: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/9/2020
Publication Date: 5/12/2020
Citation: Goodman, M.H., Thomson, J.L., Landry, A.S. 2020. Food environment in the Lower Mississippi Delta: food deserts, food swamps, and hot spots. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17/(10):3354. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103354.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103354

Interpretive Summary: The Lower Mississippi Delta region is characterized by high rates of obesity, chronic disease, and premature death, factors associated with unhealthful diets. The food environment has been identified as one factor influencing the foods people select, and thus the quality of their diet. In order to better understand the persistently poor diets of Lower Mississippi Delta women who participated in a nutrition intervention, the food environments of the towns and neighborhoods in which they lived were measured. Using geographic analysis methods, clusters of food outlets were identified and distances between participants’ residence and closest food outlet by type were computed. Of the 266 food outlets identified, 11 (4%), 86 (32%), 50 (19%), and 119 (45%) were classified as grocery stores, convenience stores, full service restaurants, and fast food restaurants, respectively. Seventy-five percent, 50%, and 54% of participants lived in or adjacent to a convenience store cluster, full service restaurant cluster, and fast food restaurant cluster, respectively. Based on food environment characteristics, both food deserts (lack of access to healthful foods) and food swamps (abundant access to low nutritive, high calorie foods) were evident in the towns in which participants resided. On average, participants lived closer to convenience stores and fast food restaurants (0.4 and 0.5 miles, respectively) than grocery stores and full service restaurants (1.6 and 1.1 miles, respectively). The food environments of the towns and associated neighborhoods in which participants resided were not supportive of healthful eating as evidenced by the high prevalence of characteristics associated with both food deserts and food swamps. Researchers and other stakeholders intending to improve the diet quality of Lower Mississippi Delta residents may need to first change their food environments to support healthful food choices.

Technical Abstract: Objective: To examine the food environment in towns where Delta Healthy Sprouts (DHS) participants lived in order to better understand their persistently low diet quality scores. Design: We conducted an ancillary observational study of the food environments in which DHS participants lived. We analyzed food outlet geographic locations in relation to one another (hot spot analysis) and computed distance between DHS participants’ residence and the closest food outlet by class. Setting: Lower Mississippi Delta. Participants: Food outlets – grocery stores, convenience stores, full service restaurants, and fast food restaurants – located in the five towns in which DHS participants resided. Results: Of the 266 food outlets identified, 11 (4%), 86 (32%), 50 (19%), and 119 (45%) were classified as grocery stores, convenience stores, full service restaurants, and fast food restaurants, respectively. Seventy-five percent, 50%, and 54% of DHS participants lived in or adjacent to a convenience store hot spot, full service restaurant hot spot, and fast food hot spot, respectively. Both food deserts and food swamps were evident in the 5 towns. On average, DHS participants lived closer to convenience stores and fast food restaurants (0.4 and 0.5 miles, respectively) than grocery stores and full service restaurants (1.6 and 1.1 miles, respectively). Conclusions: The food environments of the DHS participants were not supportive of healthful eating as evidenced by the high prevalence of characteristics associated with both food deserts and food swamps.