COVID-19 Leads to Dramatic Changes in the Food Retail Environment in New York City: May–July 2020

Yi, Stella S.; Ali, Shahmir H.; Russo, Rienna; Foster, Victoria; Radee, Ashley; Chong, Stella; Tsui, Felice; Kranick, Julie; Lee, David; Imbruce, Valerie; Mezzacca, Tamar Adjoian

doi:10.1007/s10903-021-01230-7

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…A summary of the key findings (i.e., closures by neighborhood) has been described elsewhere [ 35 ]. In this paper, we present data relating to the Summer 2020 data collection phase in three Manhattan neighborhoods - UES, East Harlem, and Chinatown – and three Brooklyn neighborhoods – Park Slope, Brownsville, and Sunset Park.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned

Russo

Ali²,

Mezzacca

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Background COVID-19 mitigation strategies have had an untold effect on food retail stores and restaurants. Early evidence from New York City (NYC) indicated that these strategies, among decreased travel from China and increased fears of viral transmission and xenophobia, were leading to mass closures of businesses in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The constantly evolving COVID −19 crisis has caused research design and methodology to fundamentally shift, requiring adaptable strategies to address emerging and existing public health problems such as food security that may result from closures of food outlets. Objective We describe innovative approaches used to evaluate changes to the food retail environment amidst the constraints of the pandemic in an urban center heavily burdened by COVID-19. Included are challenges faced, lessons learned and future opportunities. Methods First, we identified six diverse neighborhoods in NYC: two lower-resourced, two higher-resourced, and two Chinese ethnic enclaves. We then developed a census of food outlets in these six neighborhoods using state and local licensing databases. To ascertain the status (open vs. closed) of outlets pre-pandemic, we employed a manual web-scraping technique. We used a similar method to determine the status of outlets during the pandemic. Two independent online sources were required to confirm the status of outlets. If two sources could not confirm the status, we conducted phone call checks and/or in-person visits. Results The final baseline database included 2585 food outlets across six neighborhoods. Ascertaining the status of food outlets was more difficult in lower-resourced neighborhoods and Chinese ethnic enclaves compared to higher-resourced areas. Higher-resourced neighborhoods required fewer phone call and in-person checks for both restaurants and food retailers than other neighborhoods. Conclusions Our multi-step data collection approach maximized safety and efficiency while minimizing cost and resources. Challenges in remote data collection varied by neighborhood and may reflect the different resources or social capital of the communities; understanding neighborhood-specific constraints prior to data collection may streamline the process.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned

Russo

Ali²,

Mezzacca

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

Self Cite

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“…The results of this paper support the findings of earlier research on food outlet closure during the pandemic. Yi et al (2021) found a vanishing food infrastructure in their study of New York neighborhoods. Like us, they found the highest closures amongst restaurants and small grocery stores.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

A Vanishing Food Infrastructure: The Closure of Food Outlets in Flint in a Pandemic Era

Bell

Taylor

2023

American Behavioral Scientist

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Most food access studies focus on large cities, examine traditional grocery stores, and only consider operational food outlets. This siloed approach exposes a gap in food access literature. Therefore, as a part of our assessment of Flint’s food landscape, we examined closed food outlets in the city and surrounding townships. We investigated the relationship between the racial composition of census tracts and the number and type of defunct food outlets identified. We used Data Axle to collect and verify data on open and closed food outlets between September 2020 and December 2021. We made a final verification of the food outlet closures in June 2022. We used ArcGIS 10.8.1 and SPSS Version 28 to map and analyze the data. We used negative binomial regression models to determine differences in the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet in census tracts with low and high percentages of Black residents. We also investigated the relationship between a census tract’s median income and the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. There were 173 closed food outlets; 81 were in Flint, and 92 were in surrounding townships. The most frequently closed food outlets were restaurants; they accounted for 45.1% of the closures. The mean number of closed food venues in census tracts where less than 40% of the residents were Black was 1.5. The mean was similar in census tracts where 40% or more of the residents were Black; it was 1.6. This difference was not significant. However, the median income of a census tract was a significant predictor of the likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. Every one-thousand-dollar increase in median income resulted in a 2% less likelihood of having an additional closed food outlet. The results of this study show that there is more to the food landscape of a city than its operational food outlets. Focusing exclusively on active food outlets does not accurately depict a city's food infrastructure.

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“…Compared to other racial/ethnic groups, Asians/Asian Americans had the highest percentage decline in the number of frontline workers [ 28 ]. Food businesses in ethnic Chinese neighborhoods closed at a higher rate compared to food businesses in other neighborhoods [ 29 ]. Additionally, Asian/Asian American-owned businesses faced obstacles in obtaining Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans, meant to support small businesses and prevent closing, that resulted in many not receiving assistance [ 5 , 26 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiles of a COVID-19 Syndemic: Anti-Asian Racism, Economic Challenges, and Mental and Physical Health

McGarity‐Palmer

Saw

Horse

et al. 2023

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring threats of anti-Asian racism, economic challenges, and negative mental and physical health symptoms. Objectives We examined the co-occurrence of COVID-19-related anti-Asian discrimination and collective racism, economic stressors, and mental and physical health challenges for Asians/Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined Asian/Asian American subgroups associated with these threats. Methods Nationally representative data from the 2021 Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander COVID-19 Needs Assessment Project (unweighted N = 3,508) were used to conduct a latent profile analysis to identify unique typologies of the co-occurrence of these threats. We also conducted chi-square analyses to investigate subgroup differences by latent profile. Results We identified five distinct latent profiles: multi-threat impact, low impact, collective racism, health challenges, and economic/health challenges. Forty percent of Asians/Asian Americans were in the multi-threat impact profile, indicating high levels across COVID-19-related threats. Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in profile membership. East Asians, US-born Asians/Asian Americans, and those aged 25–44 seemed to be particularly affected by the proposed syndemic; results also differed by income. Conclusion Asians/Asian Americans have experienced co-occurring and interrelated threats during COVID-19 that suggest the presence of a syndemic. Results from our study point to vulnerable Asian/Asian American subgroups and the need for targeted public health efforts to address racism, health challenges, and economic challenges in the context of COVID-19.

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COVID-19 Leads to Dramatic Changes in the Food Retail Environment in New York City: May–July 2020

Cited by 14 publications

References 4 publications

Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned

Assessing changes in the food retail environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned

A Vanishing Food Infrastructure: The Closure of Food Outlets in Flint in a Pandemic Era

Profiles of a COVID-19 Syndemic: Anti-Asian Racism, Economic Challenges, and Mental and Physical Health

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