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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Alyssa Ghirardelli, MPH, RD¹, Valerie Quinn, MEd¹, Ellen Feighery, RN, MS², Mathew Stone, MPH³, and Sharon Sugerman, MS, RD⁴. (1) California Department of Health Services, Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, PO Box 997413, MS 7204, Sacramento, CA 95899-7413, 916-449-5342, aghirard@dhs.ca.gov, (2) Public Health Institute, #3 Portofino Circle, Redwood Shores, CA 94065, (3) California Department of Health Services, Health Information and Srategic Planning, PO BOX 997413, MS 5204, Sacramneto, CA 95899-7413, (4) Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section, Public Health Institute, MS-7204, PO Box 997413, Sacramento, CA 95899-7413

The Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section in the California Department of Health Services (CPNS) is utilizing a statewide online Geographic Information System (GIS) to map selected indicators of healthy neighborhood food environments in low-income areas of California. The GIS indicators will be one part of an ongoing regional evaluation to identify change in outer spheres of the Social Ecological Model in CPNS regions. The Communities of Excellence in Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention (CX³) project began with a list of 151 indicators of healthy nutrition and physical activity environments and 44 community assets that went through an online rating process by a diverse array of public health professionals. Indicators with high ratings and GIS mapping potential were grouped together for implementation. Each of five pilot sites chose between three and seven low income neighborhoods defined by census tracts and different characteristics such as ethnicity, rural, urban and suburban. The five pilot sites tested methods to assess accessibility to supermarkets and certified farmer's markets, as well as the proximity of fast food outlets to schools and parks using the GIS. GIS was also used to determine per capita ratios of these indicators between low income areas and median income areas. Qualitative data were gathered and reported using standardized methods. The GIS-based methods the sites used to gather an initial overview of community food environments will be followed by more in-depth activities in the field. Statewide implementation will follow after results are interpreted and methods are fine tuned.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the California Nutrition Network (CNN) GIS Map Viewer.
• Recognize pilot tested methods for assessing community food environments using a GIS.
• Discuss challenges and opportunities for evaluation using GIS.

Keywords: Community Research, Geographic Information Systems

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation