Access to healthy food in urban and rural areas: An empirical analysis

Losada-Rojas, Lisa Lorena; Ke, Yue; Pyrialakou, V. Dimitra; Gkritza, Konstantina

doi:10.1016/j.jth.2021.101245

Cited by 25 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The authors noted that people in the studied communities are highly dependent on transit systems, and the FLM problem is of considerable concern for them. A study in Indiana indicated that increased access to transit networks improves people’s accessibility to healthy food providers ( 29 ). Finally, multiple studies identified transportation as a barrier for people who need frequent visits to healthcare centers, such as people with chronic diseases or cancer, children, and women who need prenatal care ( 30 – 32 ).…”

Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers Associated with the First/Last Mile Trip and Solutions to Bridge the Gap: A Scoping Literature Review

Alfaris

Patel

Jalayer

et al. 2023

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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A first/last mile (FLM) trip is defined as the distance a person travels before boarding a transit stop (first mile) or after disembarking (last mile). FLM trips could encourage or discourage people from riding transit systems, affecting their access to major services such as healthcare, education, employment, and transportation. When considering underserved communities specifically, where people rely heavily on public transportation, challenges to completing the FLM trip often negatively impact quality of life. This paper provides a comprehensive review of previous research efforts discussing the FLM trip. It begins by identifying the outcomes of challenges in completing the FLM trip and the contributing factors to those challenges and subsequently summarizes the various solutions transportation agencies and decision-makers have implemented to address the first and last legs for transit users. The most common solutions include shared mobility services, circulating shuttles, and built environment improvements. This research serves as a valuable reference for transportation professionals to enrich their understanding of the FLM barriers and the potential solutions to bridge this FLM gap.

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Section: Findings and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers Associated with the First/Last Mile Trip and Solutions to Bridge the Gap: A Scoping Literature Review

Alfaris

Patel

Jalayer

et al. 2023

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation R

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“…Both city and rural food environments can present barriers to access large supermarkets that typically have greater diversity of fresh foods ( 80 ) . Barriers to healthy eating in these areas include travel distance and transportation logistics, as well as the cost of healthy food items ( 81 , 82 ) . In this cohort, adolescents from less affluent families consumed more processed meat and more sodas/sugary drinks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between dietary habits, socio-demographics and gut microbial composition in adolescents

Kemp,

Orihuela,

Morrow

et al. 2023

Br J Nutr

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The relationship between dietary habits and microbiota composition during adolescence has not been well examined. This is a crucial knowledge gap to fill, considering that diet–microbiota interactions influence neurodevelopment, immune system maturation, and metabolic regulation. This study examined the associations between diet and the gut microbiota in a school-based sample of 136 adolescents (Mage = 12.1 years; age range 11–13 years; 48% female; 47% Black, 38% non-Hispanic White, 15% Hispanic or other minorities) from urban, suburban, and rural areas in the Southeast United States. Adolescents completed the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants and provided stool samples for 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Parents reported their child and family sociodemographic characteristics. Associations between diet and sociodemographics with gut microbiota diversity and abundance were analyzed using multivariable regression models. Child race and ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, and geographic locale contributed to variation within microbiota composition (β-diversity). Greater consumption of processed meat was associated with lower microbial α-diversity after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Multi-adjusted models showed that frequent consumption of nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods (e.g., sugar sweetened beverages, fried foods, sweets) was negatively associated with abundances of genera in the family Lachnospiraceae (Anaerostipes, Fusicatenibacter, and Roseburia), which are thought to play a beneficial role in host health through their production of short-chain fatty acids. These results provide new insights into the complex relationships among sociodemographic factors, diet, and gut microbiota during adolescence. Adolescence may represent a critical window of opportunity to promote healthy eating practices that shape a homeostatic gut microbiota with life-long benefits.

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“…Census Bureau, 2010), two common features characterize rural versus urban places: a) population count; and b) (non-)adjacency to a metropolitan area (USDA Economic Research Service, 2019). Apart from differences in the sheer number of people located in rural versus urban areas, rural areas also tend to have reduced access to healthcare providers and services (Douthit et al, 2015;Gong et al, 2019;Johnston et al, 2019;Weinhold & Gurtner, 2014), fewer healthy amenities such as grocery stores and gyms (Losada-Rojas et al, 2021;Patterson et al, 2004), and worse water quality and air pollution (Hendryx et al, 2010;Strosnider et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2023). For example, health professional shortages account for approximately 40% of the difference in preventable deaths across rural and urban areas (Johnston et al, 2019), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5; known to increase risk for dementia) is most heavily emitted from agricultural sources and wildfires, which are more common in rural areas (Zhang et al, 2023).…”

Section: Conceptualizing Rurality-urbanicity and Its Impact On Lifesp...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Are There Place-Based Disparities in Mortality Risk? Findings from Two Longitudinal Studies of Aging

Atherton

2024

Preprint

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Objective: Most work on rural-urban health disparities has been conducted with population-level data, which is limited in its capacity for causal inferences about individuals and lifespan health. The present study leverages individual-level longitudinal data, spanning up to 29 years, to understand how rurality-urbanicity predicts risk for all-cause mortality; whether these associations hold above and beyond socioeconomic status; and whether the association between rurality-urbanicity and mortality risk varies by sex, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and partner status.Methods: The present pre-registered study uses data from two large longitudinal studies of U.S. Americans (HRS and MIDUS; total N = ~55,000), who reported on their socio-demographic characteristics, had their addresses linked to geographical indicators (i.e., rural-urban continuum codes), and have data from the National Death Index regarding vital status and survival time. Results: Using cox proportional hazards regression models, findings showed that suburban and rural residents were at a 12% and 18% greater risk for earlier mortality compared to urban residents in HRS, but the associations between rurality-urbanicity and mortality risk were non-significant in MIDUS. The longitudinal associations between rurality-urbanicity and mortality risk were largely independent of socioeconomic status. Finally, there was only one statistically significant interaction effect, suggesting the strength and direction of the association between rurality-urbanicity and mortality risk was largely the same across sociodemographic subgroups. Conclusions: There is tentative evidence suggesting that rurality-urbanicity is an important social determinant of longevity, over and above other sociodemographic factors. Future studies should explore how to promote longer and healthier lives among rural residents.

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Access to healthy food in urban and rural areas: An empirical analysis

Cited by 25 publications

References 47 publications

Barriers Associated with the First/Last Mile Trip and Solutions to Bridge the Gap: A Scoping Literature Review

Barriers Associated with the First/Last Mile Trip and Solutions to Bridge the Gap: A Scoping Literature Review

Associations between dietary habits, socio-demographics and gut microbial composition in adolescents

Are There Place-Based Disparities in Mortality Risk? Findings from Two Longitudinal Studies of Aging

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