Abstract:This paper examines whether access to public transportation reduces the probability of food insecurity for households. The dataset combines information from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS) and the National Transit Database for the period of 2006 to 2009. I address a potential endogeneity problem using the change in federal governmental transportation funding, the Urbanized Area Formula grants, as an instrument. I find evidence of a negative causal effect of public transportatio… Show more
“…Negative experiences in terms of transportation may be due to a host of factors including barriers such as including transportation accessibility, transportation costs, transportation distance, transportation inconveniences, transportation reliability, and transportation time. As discussed in the background section, having a very difficult or difficult experience in terms of transportation can deter an individual or family from accessing food [ 29 ]. Individuals and families may end up making less frequent trips to access food, thereby reducing the freshness and/or quality of the food they obtain [ 29 ].…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As discussed in the background section, having a very difficult or difficult experience in terms of transportation can deter an individual or family from accessing food [ 29 ]. Individuals and families may end up making less frequent trips to access food, thereby reducing the freshness and/or quality of the food they obtain [ 29 ]. Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It has been found that the degree to which households without automobiles are able to make alternative travel arrangements to go shopping for food is far more influential in terms of physical access to food than the factor of spatial proximity of food assets [ 28 ]. If public transportation is not available or readily accessible, then households without automobiles may go grocery shopping less frequently and may access food assets such as nearby convenience stores where there are limited options in terms of quality food that meets dietary needs and preferences [ 29 , 30 ].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…These individuals and families are vulnerable because they spend a large share of their income on food [ 32 ]. They may have to cut down on the quantity and/or quality of food they obtain to save money and thereby not meet their dietary needs and preferences [ 29 ]. Beyond income, the cost of food and/or the cost of transportation can also impact a low-income individual’s or family’s economic access to food.…”
Background
In the City of Vancouver, Canada, non-profit food hubs such as food banks, neighbourhood houses, community centres, and soup kitchens serve communities that face food insecurity. Food that is available yet inaccessible cannot ensure urban food security. This study seeks to highlight food access challenges, especially in terms of mobility and transportation, faced by users of non-profit food hubs in the City of Vancouver before and during the COVID-19 crisis.
Methods
This study involved an online survey (n = 84) and semi-structured follow-up key informant interviews (n = 10) with individuals at least 19 years old who accessed food at a non-profit food hub located in the City of Vancouver more than once before and during the COVID-19 crisis.
Results
88.5% of survey respondents found food obtained from non-profit food hubs to be either very or somewhat important to their household’s overall diet. In their journey to access food at non-profit food hubs in the City of Vancouver, many survey respondents face barriers such as transportation distance/time, transportation inconveniences/reliability/accessibility, transportation costs, line-ups at non-profit food hubs, and schedules of non-profit food hubs. Comments from interview participants corroborate these barriers.
Conclusions
Drawing from the findings, this study recommends that non-profit food hubs maintain a food delivery option and that the local transportation authority provides convenient and reliable paratransit service. Furthermore, this study recommends that the provincial government considers subsidizing transit passes for low-income households, that the provincial and/or federal governments consider bolstering existing government assistance programs, and that the federal government considers implementing a universal basic income. This study emphasizes how the current two-tier food system perpetuates stigma and harms the well-being of marginalized populations in the City of Vancouver in their journey to obtain food.
“…Negative experiences in terms of transportation may be due to a host of factors including barriers such as including transportation accessibility, transportation costs, transportation distance, transportation inconveniences, transportation reliability, and transportation time. As discussed in the background section, having a very difficult or difficult experience in terms of transportation can deter an individual or family from accessing food [ 29 ]. Individuals and families may end up making less frequent trips to access food, thereby reducing the freshness and/or quality of the food they obtain [ 29 ].…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…As discussed in the background section, having a very difficult or difficult experience in terms of transportation can deter an individual or family from accessing food [ 29 ]. Individuals and families may end up making less frequent trips to access food, thereby reducing the freshness and/or quality of the food they obtain [ 29 ]. Fig.…”
Section: Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It has been found that the degree to which households without automobiles are able to make alternative travel arrangements to go shopping for food is far more influential in terms of physical access to food than the factor of spatial proximity of food assets [ 28 ]. If public transportation is not available or readily accessible, then households without automobiles may go grocery shopping less frequently and may access food assets such as nearby convenience stores where there are limited options in terms of quality food that meets dietary needs and preferences [ 29 , 30 ].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…These individuals and families are vulnerable because they spend a large share of their income on food [ 32 ]. They may have to cut down on the quantity and/or quality of food they obtain to save money and thereby not meet their dietary needs and preferences [ 29 ]. Beyond income, the cost of food and/or the cost of transportation can also impact a low-income individual’s or family’s economic access to food.…”
Background
In the City of Vancouver, Canada, non-profit food hubs such as food banks, neighbourhood houses, community centres, and soup kitchens serve communities that face food insecurity. Food that is available yet inaccessible cannot ensure urban food security. This study seeks to highlight food access challenges, especially in terms of mobility and transportation, faced by users of non-profit food hubs in the City of Vancouver before and during the COVID-19 crisis.
Methods
This study involved an online survey (n = 84) and semi-structured follow-up key informant interviews (n = 10) with individuals at least 19 years old who accessed food at a non-profit food hub located in the City of Vancouver more than once before and during the COVID-19 crisis.
Results
88.5% of survey respondents found food obtained from non-profit food hubs to be either very or somewhat important to their household’s overall diet. In their journey to access food at non-profit food hubs in the City of Vancouver, many survey respondents face barriers such as transportation distance/time, transportation inconveniences/reliability/accessibility, transportation costs, line-ups at non-profit food hubs, and schedules of non-profit food hubs. Comments from interview participants corroborate these barriers.
Conclusions
Drawing from the findings, this study recommends that non-profit food hubs maintain a food delivery option and that the local transportation authority provides convenient and reliable paratransit service. Furthermore, this study recommends that the provincial government considers subsidizing transit passes for low-income households, that the provincial and/or federal governments consider bolstering existing government assistance programs, and that the federal government considers implementing a universal basic income. This study emphasizes how the current two-tier food system perpetuates stigma and harms the well-being of marginalized populations in the City of Vancouver in their journey to obtain food.
“…Food insecurity is a complex public health issue shaped by socioeconomic conditions, infrastructure, and available resourcesall of which vary by spatial contexts (3) . Before the pandemic, for example, existing economic opportunities remained stagnant in rural compared to urban areas; lower population density in rural areas limited growth of supermarkets, whereas in urban areas, supermarket redlining worsened access to affordable healthy food; and insufficient transportation infrastructure hindered people's ability to travel to available food sources in both urban and rural communities (4)(5)(6)(7) .…”
Objective:
Investigate acquisition and mobility experiences of food-insecure individuals across urbanicity levels (i.e., urban, suburban, rural) in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design:
Cross-sectional study using a nationally representative online panel to measure where food-insecure individuals acquired food, food acquisition barriers, and mobility to food sources, which were evaluated across urbanicity levels using chi-squared tests and 95% CIs.
Setting:
United States
Participants:
2,011 adults (18 years or older)
Results:
Food insecurity impacted 62.3% of adults in urban areas, 40.5% in rural areas, and 36.7% in suburban areas (p<0.001). Food acquisition barriers that were significantly more prevalent among food-insecure adults in urban areas were a change in employment status (34.2%; 95% CI = 27.2%, 41.1%; p<0.0001) and limited availability of food in retailers (38.8%; 95% CI = 31.7%, 45.9%; p<0.001). In rural areas, food-insecure adults primarily acquired food for the household from supercenters (61.5%; 95% CI = 50.4%, 72.5%; p<0.05), while locally sourced foods were less common among food-insecure adults in rural areas (6.9%; 95% CI = 0.01%, 13.0%) compared to urban areas (19.8%; 95% CI = 14.3%, 25.4%; p<0.01). Transportation as a barrier did not vary significantly by urbanicity, but food-insecure adults across urbanicity levels reported utilizing a range of transportations modes to acquire food.
Conclusions:
A planning approach that links urban and rural areas could address food insecurity by enhancing the integration of food production, transportation, and food distribution, building toward a more resilient and equitable food system for all Americans.
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