Relationships between Neighborhood Racial Composition and Healthy Snack Food Availability in Southwest Chicago

There is increasing concern about the high prevalence of snack consumption among children in the United States. Snacks are frequently consumed at the expense of more conventional meals and commonly are of lower nutritional quality. Snack consumption also has been associated with an increased risk for childhood overweight. Although researchers have traditionally focused on examining individual and familial contributors to dietary behaviors, a growing body of evidence supports the role of neighborhood food environments in shaping dietary intake at the individual level. Previous research suggests that as compared to predominately white neighborhoods, African American neighborhoods offer fewer healthy food options and provide fewer resources for supporting healthful eating. Nevertheless, studies examining relationships between neighborhood racial composition and availability of healthy snacks have been limited. We conducted in-person audits of 198 retail food stores in Southwest Chicago to identify the presence/absence of healthy snacks. In-person audits were conducted using a tool developed to assess the availability of 4 healthy snack food categories including low-fat chip snacks, low-fat dairy snacks, moderate/low-fat baked/sweet snacks, and fruit/vegetable snacks. Store locations were geocoded to the census tract and classified by neighborhood characteristics (specifically race and % poverty) using data from the 2000 census. Regression analysis revealed that African American neighborhoods had fewer healthy fruit, low-fat chip, and low-fat/moderate baked/sweet snacks compared to white and racially mixed neighborhoods (p<0.05). No racial differences were found for low-fat dairy snacks. Although a negative association was found between neighborhood SES and availability of healthy snacks, racial differences were not be explained by income. However, store type (grocery vs. corner store) appeared to play an important role in racial differences in snack food availability. Results from this study suggests that improving the diversity of retail outlets and healthy options in African American neighborhoods across SES levels, could have a positive impact on healthy snack consumption.