LiveWell Greenville: Barriers and Strategies to Promoting Healthy Food Access Among Low Income Residents

Introduction: This study examines the existence of food deserts in low-income and minority communities in Greenville, SC in order to develop a community-based program to promote healthy lifestyle choices among residents. This study is part of a larger community coalition known as LiveWell Greenville which seeks to “make the healthy choice the easy choice.” Methods: Using a 1.5 mile buffer zone around the Berea community, chosen for its ethnic diversity and high poverty levels, all food establishments were evaluated using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS). The NEMS tool can be applied in grocery stores, convenience stores and food retail establishments to quantify and describe food availability, pricing of food items, and food quality. In addition, the restaurant survey evaluates the posting of nutritional information, layout of the menu and pricing strategies that promote overeating such as combo meals and lunch buffets. Results: The preliminary findings suggest that food deserts are indeed a problem in the Berea community of Greenville, SC and that healthy food access may be a barrier in promoting healthy lifestyle behavior changes. Discussion: As a stakeholder in the creation of the Berea Master Plan, these results can be used to suggest appropriate intervention strategies such as community gardens and after school environmental education programs. Our presentation will also include comparison data from other communities within Greenville County from other census tracts with varying income levels and ethnic demographics in order to evaluate if the concerns of healthy food access are indeed an environmental justice issue.