Food Access, Food Insecurity, and Gun Violence: Examining a Complex Relationship

Miller, Keith R.; Jones, Christopher M.; McClave, Stephen A.; Christian, Vikram J.; Adamson, Paula; Neel, Dustin; Bozeman, Matthew C.; Benns, Matthew V.

doi:10.1007/s13668-021-00378-w

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Shannon (2021) associates supermarket redlining with the prevalence of dollar stores in Communities of Color. Other studies use the supermarket redlining thesis to study the lack of supermarkets in low-income urban areas (Cameron et al, 2010;Cantor et al, 2020;Chan-Tack, 2014;Li & Yuan, 2022;K. R. Miller et al, 2021;Russell & Heidkamp, 2011;Sbicca, 2012;Shannon, 2018;Shannon et al, 2021;Widener & Shannon, 2014).…”

Section: Theorizing Neighborhood Food Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Food Access in Flint: An Analysis of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities

Taylor

Bell

Saherwala

2022

American Behavioral Scientist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The primary objective of this study was to describe the food landscape of Flint, Michigan, and the surrounding townships. We investigated the relationship between the location of food outlets and the racial composition of census tracts. We collected data from multiple sources; however, Data Axle, a repository of information on the U.S. and Canadian businesses, was our primary data source. Data were collected and verified between September 2020 and December 2021. The final fact-checking was completed in June 2022. We used ArcGIS 10.8.1 and SPSS Version 28 to map and analyze the data. We conducted negative binomial regression analyses to identify the difference in the likelihood of finding food retailers in census tracts where the percentage of Black residents was low and those where the percentage of Blacks was high. The article examines 1,137 food retailers in the study area: 407 were in Flint, and the remainder in the surrounding townships. Restaurants—especially fast food and take-out establishments—dominated the food environment. In addition, small groceries and convenience stores proliferated in the grocery store category. The racial composition of the census tracts mattered. Census tracts in which more than 40% of the residents are Black have a mean of 7.6 food outlets. In comparison, census tracts in which 40% or less of the residents are Black have a mean of 11.3 food outlets; the difference is significant. Census tracts with a high percentage of Blacks also had significantly fewer restaurants. The results of this study show Flint’s food landscape to be more complex and robust than described in earlier studies. It underscores the point that researchers should not rely solely on documenting the presence of supermarkets or traditional grocery stores when addressing food insecurity and food access. In the case of Flint, such food outlets comprise only 2.2% of the food landscape. Focusing exclusively on these food retailers misses several important types of food venues that residents rely on to secure food. This siloed approach also ignores the resilience and ingenuity of residents to respond to limited access to traditional food retailers.

show abstract

Section: Theorizing Neighborhood Food Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Food Access in Flint: An Analysis of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities

Taylor

Bell

Saherwala

2022

American Behavioral Scientist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Insecurities in basic needs such as food, housing, and financial resources at the individual, household, and community levels are independently and jointly associated with the increased risk of violence exposure and involvement (Schuck and Widom 2021). For example, food insecurity, defined as “the disruption of food intake or eating patterns due to a lack of money and resources” (Miller et al 2021, 318), has been linked to increased violence, even when controlling for other predictors, such as income level and population density (Caughron 2016). Limited access to food, coupled with limited financial resources or limited transportation to access food, is predictive of increased firearm injury risk—a finding that highlights the potential for additive or multiplicative effects in the relationship between firearm violence and social and structural determinants (R.…”

Section: Relationships Between Community Firearm Violence Community T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concentrated disadvantage and needs insecurities may contribute to interpersonal violence by negatively affecting cognitive functioning; increasing stress levels; intensifying unhealthy conflict; and contributing to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder (Hatcher et al 2019). Furthermore, when experienced during childhood, basic needs insecurities and concentrated disadvantage may serve as risk factors for exposure to violence in the home—itself considered an adverse childhood event that increases the risk of future violence exposure and involvement (Miller et al 2021). There is also substantial evidence that wage differentials and neighborhood-level income inequality are strongly associated with violent crime (Kennedy et al 1998; Rowhani-Rahbar et al 2019).…”

Section: Relationships Between Community Firearm Violence Community T...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Structural Determinants of Community Firearm Violence and Community Trauma

Buggs¹,

Kravitz‐Wirtz²,

Lund³

2022

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Scie

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The adverse impacts of community firearm violence in the U.S. are unequally felt across geographic and various sociodemographic segments of our population. Researchers, government leaders, and the general public need to contend with the various ways in which unjust socioeconomic and political forces and systems of power and privilege lead to differences in risk exposure among population groups, as well as differences in the extent to which various segments of the population are protected from the adverse effects of firearm violence. We highlight dozens of studies to illustrate how firearm violence and community trauma in the U.S. can be more effectively addressed when a “social and structural determinants” perspective is used to understand and respond to this public health problem.

show abstract

Spatial characteristics of food insecurity and food access in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Food insecurity spiked in some U.S. regions during the COVID-19 pandemic, as did food access challenges. Concerns were raised that these food issues were more prominent in food deserts, or neighborhoods lacking access to a grocery store or supermarket. Using data collected from a representative sample of Los Angeles County adults between April and October 2020, this study examined relationships between self-reported food insecurity, perceived food access barriers, and residing in a food desert, and examined differences across key geographic regions of the county. There was little relationship between residing in a food desert and experiencing food insecurity. However, perceived grocery store closures/limited hours and not having access to a vehicle were commonly reported barriers to food access, which were associated with more food insecurity. These findings suggest that geographic disparities in food access impact food insecurity. Efforts to address food insecurity should center on achieving food justice and addressing disparities across geographic regions.

show abstract

Food Access, Food Insecurity, and Gun Violence: Examining a Complex Relationship

Cited by 11 publications

References 37 publications

Understanding Food Access in Flint: An Analysis of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities

Understanding Food Access in Flint: An Analysis of Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities

Social and Structural Determinants of Community Firearm Violence and Community Trauma

Spatial characteristics of food insecurity and food access in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About