Food Desert Research Paper

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When looking at different communities throughout the world, many different sights are seen. Some areas are affluent with big buildings and a lot of economic movement. Other neighborhoods are broken down, with few successful businesses. These various types of communities are a large part different because of those people who reside there. More affluent areas tend to be healthier while economically struggling areas tend to be less healthy and more obese. Obesity is defined as “weight that is higher than what is considered as a healthy weight for a given height” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). It has swept across the country, as common diseases do, and it is not slowing down regardless of all the efforts that are attempting to…show more content…
It is usually a poor neighborhood and is likely due to the lack of availability to these nutritious foods (American Nutrition Association). The term was first coined in the 1990’s when referring to an area in Scotland that faced barriers while attempting to receive fresh foods. The major issue of food deserts is that healthy foods promote a healthy life style with less chance of disease, which people cannot have if they do not have access to this type of routine. Even if a person does not exercise regularly, if that person eats well, he or she will be better off than eating fatty, empty calories (Shaw). The clear-cut reason for food deserts is undistinguishable. It may be because of the lack of money to spend on the healthy foods, the distance to and from the markets, the lack of markets present, expensive prices, or a combination of…show more content…
A study was done in 2009 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on food deserts throughout the United States; it focused on income and race of the residents. The study showed that areas that had bad economic conditions and more African Americans living in the area had fewer grocery stores than in more affluent areas. The same situation went for Latinos – there were fewer grocery stores present and was overall an area of lower income. In both of these areas, the distance to supermarkets was farther than in more prominent areas, yet had a very high number of convenience stores – higher than in richer neighborhoods (Beaulac, Kristjansson, and Cummins). The topic has been widely debated because of the possibility that food deserts do not exist solely because of economic situations. Other aspects may come into play when labeling an area as a food

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