Neighborhood Economic Changes After the Great Recession and Home Food Environments

Abstract

Objective. Home food environments are important contexts for children and their food intake. It is unknown whether neighborhood economic context plays a role in explaining the association between a national economic crisis and children’s home food environments. This study attempts to investigate neighborhood economic changes after the Great Recession and their associations with home food environments. Method. Using data from the Geographic Research on Wellbeing survey (2012-2013), we conducted a series of logistic regression analyses to examine the association between neighborhood changes after the Great Recession and home food environments. Results. Findings showed that neighborhood economic changes after the Great Recession were concentrated in poor neighborhoods. In addition, our findings demonstrated that poor families residing in neighborhoods severely affected by the Great Recession were vulnerable to less availability of fruits and vegetables in the home after the Great Recession. Discussion. Findings imply that public health interventions aiming to improve home food environments should include strategies at the national and neighborhood levels as well as the family level. A priority population for public health interventions should be poor families living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Impacts of the 2008 Great Recession on dietary intake: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Inequalities were operationalised in terms of education, income/wealth, social class, or job type. Low SEP individuals consistently had greater decreases in fruit and vegetable intake [46,54,55,58,60,65,70] while patterns of meat and fish consumption were less clear but generally suggestive of inequalities [30,58,65,69]. Results were more mixed for fast food consumption [36,60].…”

“…6). Nine reported decreases in vegetable intake [45,46,51,58,60,65,[67][68][69] and three reported no significant impacts [33,41,42]. A Spanish study observed a decrease in daily vegetable consumption that was only significant in women without an educational qualification [65].…”

Impacts of the 2008 Great Recession on dietary intake: a systematic review

“…Fifteen studies investigated the impact of the Great Recession on vegetable intake (Figure 5). Nine reported decreases in vegetable intake (41,42,47,54,56,61,(63)(64)(65) and three reported no signi cant impacts (29,37,38). A Spanish study observed a decrease in daily vegetable consumption that was only signi cant in women without an educational quali cation (61).…”

“…Fourteen studies found that the recession led to greater changes in dietary intakes for low SEP individuals (26,30,34,42,44,45,50,51,53,54,56,60,61,65,66). Results were consistent for fruit and vegetable intake (42,50,51,54,56,61,66) while patterns of meat and sh consumption were less clear but generally suggestive of inequalities (26,54,61,65). Results were more mixed for fast food consumption (32,56).…”

Communities Moving Ahead, Falling Behind: Evidence from the Index of Deep Disadvantage

“…Examining neighborhoods in Chicago, Williams, Galster, and Verma (2013) find areas of preexisting disadvantage and larger fractions of people of color were more likely to experience declines in local labor and housing markets. Kim and Cubbin (2019) examined Geographic Research on Wellbeing (a survey of postpartum women in California) data and found that previously high-poverty neighborhoods and (paradoxically) majority-white neighborhoods experienced greater economic deterioration. Lerman and Zhang (2012) combined Panel Study of Income Dynamics data with neighborhood-level data on unemployment, poverty, and home prices, finding that high-poverty neighborhood dwellers experienced greater wealth losses and housing challenges than those in low-poverty areas.…”