Factors Influencing Food Buying Practices in Residents of a Low-Income Food Desert and a Low-Income Food Oasis

Abstract

Studies suggest that proximity to a supermarket influences access to healthy foods. However, little is known about factors that influence food buying practices within areas with limited supermarket access. This study identified these factors and explored how they are related and influence healthy eating. Twenty-five men and women engaged in the concept mapping process, a mixed methods approach allowing participants to identify, sort, and rate ideas. Participants generated 121 unique (nonduplicate) statements of factors that influence food buying practices and sorted them into 12 clusters that represented their perceptions. Average cluster ratings for residents with poor supermarket access were higher than residents with supermarket access. Awareness of these factors is important for increasing access to and consumption of healthy foods.

Food access and food deserts: the diverse methods that residents of a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota use to provision themselves

“…Because of the low median household income in the neighborhood, high cost of gas to reach the nearest grocery store, and data showing that economic considerations are very important to residents of food deserts (Walker et al, 2011;Walker, Block, & Kawachi, 2012;Whelan et al, 2002), finding ways to support this portion of the community is important. Because of the low median household income in the neighborhood, high cost of gas to reach the nearest grocery store, and data showing that economic considerations are very important to residents of food deserts (Walker et al, 2011;Walker, Block, & Kawachi, 2012;Whelan et al, 2002), finding ways to support this portion of the community is important.…”

“…Other surveys have relied on different methodologies to understand the conditions within food deserts: focus groups (Walker et al, 2011(Walker et al, , 2012Whelan et al, 2002), qualitative interviews (Coveney & O'Dwyer, 2009), qualitative interviews augmented by GPS tracking (Huang, Rosenberg, Simonovich, & Belza, 2012), GIS-based analysis of census and other secondary data sources (Jiao, Moudon, Ulmer, Hurvitz, & Drewnowski, 2012;Hallett & McDermott, 2011;Russell & Heidkamp, 2011;Sadler, Gilliand, & Arku, 2011;Thomas, 2010), and surveys of multiple neighborhoods (Coyle & Flowerdew, 2011). We answered this question through qualitative and quantitative analysis of the local shopping community in Lincoln Park.…”

Comparing two distance measures in the spatial mapping of food deserts: The case of Petržalka, Slovakia

“…With numerous concepts developed on food deserts issues and their criticism, a new concept named 'food oases' has appeared, contributing a somewhat more complex and critical view upon food deserts (Walker et al, 2011). The term 'food oasis' was implicitly described for the first time in the study by Short et al (2007) depicting the impact of small-scale stores on food safety.…”

“…Thus, food oases represent a concentration of food stores highly accessible for low-income communities (cf. Walker et al, 2011Walker et al, , 2012.…”

Choosing and Siting Food Access Interventions: Food Mirages and Produce Stands in Portland, Oregon

“…Originally expressed by Short, Guthman, and Raskin (2007) and expanded upon by Breyer and Voss-Andreae (2013), the term represents an area in which residents have geographic access to food sources but lack the economic or cultural means to take advantage of them. Indeed, low-income residents often travel outside their neighborhoods to purchase groceries at a lower price (LeDoux & Vojnovic, 2014;Shannon, 2014;Walker, Fryer, Butler, Keane, Kriska, & Burke, 2011), demonstrating that cost supersedes convenience in determining where to purchase food (Alkon, Block, Moore, Gillis, DiNuccio, & Chavez, 2013;Barnes, 2005).…”