Racial Differences in Perceived Food Swamp and Food Desert Exposure and Disparities in Self-Reported Dietary Habits

Abstract

Both food swamps and food deserts have been associated with racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in obesity rates. Little is known about how the distribution of food deserts and food swamps relate to disparities in self-reported dietary habits, and health status, particularly for historically marginalized groups. In a national U.S. sample of 4305 online survey participants (age 18+), multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess by race and ethnicity the likelihood of living in a food swamp or food desert area. Predicted probabilities of self-reported dietary habits, health status, and weight status were calculated using the fitted values from ordinal or multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for relevant covariates. Results showed that non-Hispanic, Black participants (N = 954) were most likely to report living in a food swamp. In the full and White subsamples (N = 2912), the perception of residing in a food swamp/desert was associated with less-healthful self-reported dietary habits overall. For non-Hispanic Blacks, regression results also showed that residents of perceived food swamp areas (OR = 0.66, p < 0.01, 95% CI (0.51, 0.86)) had a lower diet quality than those not lving in a food swamp/food desert area. Black communities in particular may be at risk for environment-linked diet-related health inequities. These findings suggest that an individual’s perceptions of food swamp and food desert exposure may be related to diet habits among adults.

Cancer statistics for African American/Black People 2022

“…For instance, low‐income neighborhoods are more likely to have limited access to fresh or healthy food (food desert/swamp) and opportunities for safe outdoor physical activity. As a result, they are associated with poor health outcomes, including reduced survival from breast or colorectal cancer, 39‐41 even after accounting for individual‐level SES 42 . These communities are also targeted by companies marketing unhealthy products.…”

Points of Interest (POI): a commentary on the state of the art, challenges, and prospects for the future

“…Updated POI datasets are important also because they can be used to signal positive or negative changes in what is accessible to residents. For instance, food deserts (i.e., neighborhoods where it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food) and food swamps (i.e., neighborhoods with an abundance of non-nutritious food) are often prominent in disinvested neighborhoods (Cooksey Stowers et al, 2020 ), which are often home to disadvantaged groups. POI datasets can track the availability of healthy, proximal food options over time, meaning that researchers can see whether neighborhoods used to have healthy options, but no longer, whether healthy options are becoming more abundant, or whether there has been little change.…”

Food insecurity and cardiovascular disease: Current trends and future directions

“…Due to various socioeconomic constraints, it is known that NHB and Hispanic individuals are more likely to live in “food deserts,” which are areas with limited access to healthy foods, or “food swamps,” which have a disproportionately high density of fast food restaurants and convenience stores [ 66 ]. These disparities in healthy food access may thus worsen dietary quality and potentially exacerbate the burden of FI on racial/ethnic minorities [ [67] , [68] , [69] ].…”

“…Such community-oriented solutions should also take into account the food resources in a given area's built environment, particularly in food deserts and food swamps, both of which are present in many low-income neighborhoods [ 66 ]. While adding more supermarkets to these areas can mitigate the likelihood of FI, current research suggests it is insufficient in improving dietary quality [ 92 , 93 ].…”