Access to Healthy Food Analysis

Introduction

One of the strategic objectives defined by the Board of Commissioners is to improve residents’ access to healthy foods.  A number of factors, such as distance from a supermarket, lack of access to a vehicle and poverty, can severely restrict a person’s access to healthy food. Scientific research has shown that presence of supermarkets and access to healthy foods are associated with a lower prevalence of obesity and overweight*. One of the first steps in addressing the problem of access is identifying the areas of the county where residents are most affected.
*Morland, K., Roux, A.V.D. and Wing, S., 2006. Supermarkets, other food stores, and obesity: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. American journal of preventive medicine, 30(4), pp.333-339.

Methodology

Building on the Food Desert Study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this study pinpoints low access areas by adopting the criteria of Food Deserts defined by USDA and identifies 127 low-income Census Block Groups in Fulton County with a geographic center 1 mile outside of the service area of any grocery and produce stores and with  more than 40 households without access to  a vehicle. Low-income Census Block Groups are those a poverty rate greater than 20% or a median household income less than 80% of that in Metro Atlanta. Demographics, income and vehicle ownership data come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS). Once a Census Block Group is designated as a low-access area, this analysis also assigns a Severity Index to further evaluate the severity of the low-access condition. The Severity Index uses Poverty Rate, Population Density, Median Household Income and Vehicle Ownership as the criteria of assessment. A total of 10 Block Groups are identified as having Most Severe and Very Severe low-access condition. This analysis is ongoing and future works will incorporate public health data, children population and pervasiveness of fast food locations into the Severity Index to provide a more complete picture of the low-access condition and its impact on public health.

Results - neighborhoods most affected by low access to fresh food

For indicating the degree to which each neighborhood is affected, this study assigns a Severity Index to each block group. It is determined by the following 
  • Population Density > 5000 per sq mi (1 pt)
  • Poverty Rate > 50% (1 pt)
  • Median Household Income < $20K(1 pt)
  • > 200 Households with No Vehicle (1 pt)

Most Severe (4pt)
  • Campbellton Road, south of Adams Park 
  • Thomasville Heights & Norwood Manor

Very Severe (3pt)
  • Oakland City
  • Pittsburg
  • English Avenue – north of North Ave
  • Fort McPherson & The Village of East Point
  • Adamsville & Oakcliff
  • Carey Park

Mapping Most Severely Affected Areas with Low Access to Fresh Food
*Click on each block group to show detailed information.

Low-Access Block Groups - by Poverty Rate


Out of 127 low-access block groups, 12 block groups have poverty rate > 50%
This map shows all low-access block groups with its corresponding poverty rate level. 
*Click on each block group to show detailed information.

Low-Access Block Groups - by Median Household Income

In the 127 low-access block groups, household income information is available in 119 block groups. The 2015 median household incomes for all  119 of them are < $48,175 (the 80th percentile for Metro Atlanta). There are 20 block groups with median household income <$20,000 in 2015
This map shows all low-access block groups with its corresponding 2015 median household income. 
*Click on each block group to show detailed information

Low-Access Block Groups - by No-Vehicle Households 

In the 127 low-access block groups, 29 of them have over 200 households without access to a vehicle. 
This map shows all low-access area by number of households without vehicle access per 1,000 population.
*Click on each block group to show detailed information.

Low-Access Block Groups - by Population Density

Densely populated, low-income, low-access neighborhoods are targeted areas for the alleviating the condition of inconvenient access for fresh produce and foods. 
This map shows all low-access area by population density (population per square mile)
*Click on each block group to show detailed information.