Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Marnie Purciel¹, Cynthia Gordon, PhD², and Andrew Goodman, MD, MPH². (1) Mailman School of Public Health and Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, 161 W 105th Street., 3FW, New York, NY 10025, 415.786.7984, mlp2111@columbia.edu, (2) East and Central Harlem District Public Health Office, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 158 E. 115th Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10029

Increasing attention is being given to the influence of the neighborhood food environment on the eating habits of individuals in poor communities of color. For example, researchers have linked fruit and vegetable intake to neighborhood supermarket presence and fruit and vegetable availability to the economic and demographic attributes of a neighborhood. These findings suggest that increased access to a variety of healthy food options in poor and minority communities will increase fruit and vegetable intake among residents. Because residents of the poorest communities in NYC have a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes than NYC residents overall, the East and Central Harlem District Public Health Office (DPHO) sought to describe the environmental barriers to healthy eating by conducting a block-by-block survey of all retail food vendors in Harlem and a sample of vendors in the Upper East Side. The study assessed the availability of fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, low-fat dairy, and other beverages, as well as the price, placement, and advertising of healthy and unhealthy food and beverage items. A total of 1200 vendors were surveyed. As part of the survey, addresses of establishments were obtained and subsequently geocoded and mapped in reference to relevant neighborhood characteristics, such as race/ethnicity, income, and school and NYC housing development locations. This session will include a presentation of the survey results with a focus on the spatial representation of data and a discussion of the conceptualization, methodology, opportunities, challenges, and findings related to spatial analysis.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the process of geocoding, conceptualizing spatial data display, and implementing GIS techniques for reporting block-level data on food availability and advertising in New York City (NYC).
• Identify spatial differences in the availability, price, placement, and advertising of healthy and unhealthy foods across wealthy and poor neighborhoods in NYC.
• Understand how to spatially display and analyze block-level, comprehensive food availability data in a way that is effective for raising awareness among residents and community-based organizations and for Health Department program planning and intervention.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Food and Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation