Race, Place and Distance Traveled: How Inner City Seniors Eat 5-a-Day

Over the past decade, public health researchers have measured the influence of the local environment (i.e. availability of healthy food choices) on diets. Previously, determinates of dietary choices have been described primarily as individual factors such as culture, taste and personal choices. Fewer studies have investigated the joint effect of location and culture in determining diet. Two hundred eighty-five Black, Latino and White non-Latino Seniors from 10 Senior Centers in Brooklyn, NY participated in a cross-sectional study during 2005-2006. Trained staff administered questionnaires in either English or Spanish gaining information on produce purchasing patterns and intake using the NCI Fruit and Vegetable (F&V) Screener. Servings per day were determined by summing weighted averages of frequency and portions sizes over nine F&V categories. Servings were dichotomized to either meeting or not meeting recommended five F&V servings per day. A nine-category independent variable was created describing the joint effects of race and place where the three race groups were categorized into three U.S. census tract defined areas of predominately black (°Ý80% black), predominately white (°Ü20% black) or racially mixed (21-79% black) based on places of residence. Compared to white participants living in predominately white areas (WW), only black participants living in predominately black areas (BB) had slightly higher proportions meeting the 5 a day (PR=1.06, SE=1.21). However this group also travels on average 1.5 miles to obtain produce compared to 0.75 miles for whites living in predominately white areas, suggesting some Seniors must travel outside of their neighborhoods to maintain healthy diets.