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307608
Assessing access to healthy food using geospacial analysis
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Florence Becot
,
Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Jane Kolodinsky, PhD
,
Community Development and Applied Economics/ Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Burlington, Vermont is a city of 42,000 residents with a strong local food environment, including year-round farmers markets, year-round CSA programs and nine farms located within city limits. It is also a city with a large refugee population and high income inequality. In this community, food insecurity affects about 18% of the residents. A recent healthy food assessment using a modified USDA Healthy Foods Assessment Toolkit included geo-spatial analysis to gauge access to different types of stores that sell food, and focused specifically on access to healthy food. Coupled with results from a survey of residents and prices collected on a market basket of 87 items (USDA Tookit) at a sample of food stores of various types, we explored the barriers to healthy food access and policy changes that would have the most impact. We will present the results of the geo-spatial analysis and how these results can be used by policy makers and local advocates to improve access to healthy food in the community. Implications reach beyond the food environment and include housing, transportation, and income inequality.
Learning Areas:
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the use of geospatial analysis in gaining a better understanding of food access and food security.
Explain how this information can be used for planning and programming purposes.
Keyword(s): Food Security, Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a social science researcher trained in qualitative, quantitative and geospacial methods who studies the economics of the food system. Recent projects include: healthy food assessment of Burlington, institutional demand for locally-grown food in Vermont, measuring consumption of locally grown food in Vermont and cost of food safety certification on fresh produce farms.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
