Obesity and the Food Environment Among Minority Groups

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is higher in racial/ethnic minority populations compared to non-Hispanic whites. Recently, a substantial body of literature has focused on understanding the role of the retail food environment in shaping racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in obesity risk. Compared to predominately white neighborhoods, retail food environments in minority neighborhoods have been found to be more "obesigenic" and offer fewer opportunities for healthy eating. Studies generally show that predominately African American and Native American neighborhoods have fewer chain supermarkets; more liquor/convenience stores; lower availability of healthy food options and lower-quality fresh produce than predominately white neighborhoods. However, results from studies examining food environments in Hispanic/ Latino neighborhoods have been mixed. While several studies report an association between retail food environments, dietary intake, and obesity risk in children and adults, findings vary depending on the aspect of the food environment being studied, measures being used, target population considered, and geographic area where the study was conducted.

Community Perspectives on Access to and Availability of Healthy Food in Rural, Low-Resource, Latino Communities

“…Although research on food access tends to focus on physical access, previous research indicates that cost is a major barrier to healthy food consumption in rural areas (24,25). In keeping with this research (3), respondents emphasized a dearth of affordable healthy food in retail stores. Perceptions of barriers to healthful eating — in this case, relating to access and cost — are important, because research demonstrates that they may be more powerful predictors of health than objective barriers (26,27).…”

“…In rural, low-resource, Latino-majority neighborhoods, there are few chain supermarkets or grocery stores (2,3). In the absence of traditional food outlets, residents rely on nontraditional outlets, such as discount stores, which tend to stock a limited supply of healthy food at higher prices (4–7).…”

Lessons Learned From Small Store Programs to Increase Healthy Food Access

“…1–9 These stores typically, though not always, 10 offer limited healthy options 5–8,11–15 and are associated with overconsumption of high-fat, high-sugar foods 12,13,16–19 and higher rates of obesity and chronic disease. 15,20–25 In recent years, researchers and public health practitioners have increasingly sought to improve the food environment and purchasing of healthy foods in small stores. 26–30 Federal programs such as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Healthy Food Financing Initiative have bolstered healthy corner store efforts by providing $650 million, $100 million, and $50 million in funding, respectively, to support efforts to increase access to healthy, affordable food.…”

Alternative Agrifood Projects in Communities of Color: A Civic Engagement Perspective

“…Thus the percentage of income needed to maintain a balanced diet might vary widely. Many urban neighborhoods with little internal wealth or external investment lack fullservice grocery stores, and many of the residents of such neighborhoods lack adequate transportation to access affordable, healthy food (McClintock, 2011;Odoms-Young, Zenk, Karpyn, Ayala, & Gittelsohn, 2012).…”

“…These smaller local stores may improve selection in neighborhoods which lack full-service grocery stores, but often have higher prices and/or reduced quality (Raja, Ma, & Yadav, 2008). At the same time, rates of preventable diseases, infant mortality, and other public health concerns are much higher in neighborhoods with inequitable healthy food access (Heynen, Kurtz, & Trauger, 2012;Odoms-Young et al, 2012).…”