Relationships between Vacant Homes and Food Swamps: A Longitudinal Study of an Urban Food Environment

Abstract

Research indicates that living in neighborhoods with high concentrations of boarded-up vacant homes is associated with premature mortality due to cancer and diabetes, but the mechanism for this relationship is unclear. Boarded-up housing may indirectly impact residents’ health by affecting their food environment. We evaluated the association between changes in vacancy rates and changes in the density of unhealthy food outlets as a proportion of all food outlets, termed the food swamp index, in Baltimore, MD (USA) from 2001 to 2012, using neighborhood fixed-effects linear regression models. Over the study period, the average food swamp index increased from 93.5 to 95.3 percentage points across all neighborhoods. Among non-African American neighborhoods, increases in the vacancy rate were associated with statistically significant decreases in the food swamp index (b = −0.38; 90% CI, −0.64 to −0.12; p-value: 0.015), after accounting for changes in neighborhood SES, racial diversity, and population size. A positive association was found among low-SES neighborhoods (b = 0.15; 90% CI, 0.037 to 0.27; p-value: 0.031). Vacant homes may influence the composition of food outlets in urban neighborhoods. Future research should further elucidate the mechanisms by which more distal, contextual factors, such as boarded-up vacant homes, may affect food choices and diet-related health outcomes.

Trends and sociodemographic disparities in sugary drink consumption among adults in New York City, 2009–2017

“…“Food swamps” are areas in which persons have high access to small food retailers, corner stores, fast food outlets and carryout restaurants, but limited access to supermarkets ( Steeves et al, 2014 , Walker et al, 2010 ). Neighborhoods with these qualities are more likely to be low-SES ( Mui et al, 2017 ). The increased availability of unhealthful foods and beverages in impoverished neighborhoods may explain the finding of increased consumption among residents of these areas ( Duran et al, 2016 ).…”

The Neighborhood Impact of Industrial Blight: A Path Analysis

“…Concomitantly, inner-city neighborhoods with blighted, vacant properties and lack of accessible green characterize park deserts. Mui et al (2017) observe an association between neighborhood crime, foreclosure, vacancy rates, and food swamps. The neighborhood foreclosure and vacancy rates have a statistically significant relationship with food swamp scores.…”

“…We use the block group since it constitutes a fundamental spatial unit that contains neighborhoods. Furthermore, studies of neighborhood blight generally focus on factors causing blight from within the neighborhood (e.g., Mui et al 2017;vom Hofe et al 2019; LaVoice 2019). However, the neighborhood is not a closed system; it is an open socio-spatial unit of the city and the region as a whole.…”

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