Impact of Food Deserts on Childhood Outcomes as a Preventative Measure

Food deserts, geographical locations with limited or no access to health foods are a problem within the United States. Marginalized or underserved populations experience barriers to accessing healthy food. These barriers to healthy food are distributed across geographical locations in which people have residence (e.g. neighborhood). In addition, the barriers to accessing healthy food may lead to negative health outcomes that are associated with negative health outcomes (e.g. childhood obesity). Recent research has demonstrated that there food deserts can substantially affect an individual's likelihood of experiencing negative health outcomes and the health of individuals living within the same census tracts (Moreland, et al, 2006). This paper will examine different food deserts throughout Boston neighborhoods, compare and contrast the levels of Healthy Food Availability Index (HFAI) and measure the impact on individual childhood obesity rates in Boston neighborhoods. The higher the HFAI the greater the number of less healthy food stores compared to stores with a greater supply of healthy foods. I anticipate that there will be variation among access to healthy food across Boston neighborhoods. I hypothesize that there will be a relationship between higher HFAIs and higher percentages of childhood obesity and vice versa. Lastly, those Boston neighborhoods that are more ethnically diverse (e.g. increased percentages of racial/ethnic minorities & increased percentage of foreign-born individuals) will have a higher HFAI. Moreover, I anticipate that as barriers to healthy food are removed or reduced, it may allow for an increase in healthy outcomes of individuals living in the same neighborhoods.