New Article: Lack of Grocery Stores Linked to Poor Nutrition

Posted by on November 22, 2002

[originally posted to Comm-Org listserv]

LACK OF GROCERY STORES IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS LINKED TO POOR NUTRITION

(New York Times, November 12, 2002)

New research shows that the more supermarkets a neighborhood has, the more fruits and vegetables its residents eat. Presence of supermarkets in neighborhoods was found to be related to affluence and race. The University of North Carolina study found that produce consumption rose by 32 percent for each additional supermarket in African-American neighborhoods. The presence of at least one supermarket in a black neighborhood was associated with a 25 percent increase in residents limiting fat in their diets. Researchers noted that whites in their study had three times the access to cars, so nearby supermarkets made a greater difference to African-Americans. Also, white neighborhoods had five times as many supermarkets, on average, as African-American neighborhoods.

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/health/nutrition/12FRUI.html
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Doug Hess
Senior Policy Analyst
Food Research and Action Center
1875 Connecticut Ave, Suite 540
Washington, DC 20009
phone 202-986-2200 ext 3004
fax 202-986-2525 email dhess@frac.org

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