Finger Lakes residents have healthy diet and exercise behaviors and 3 more...
Food environment index (Index of factors that contribute to a healthy food environment, from 0 (worst) to 10 (best))
Current Value
8.5
Definition
"Index factors contributing to a healthy food environment, from 0 (worst) to 10 (best).
The County Health Rankings measure of the food environment accounts for proximity to healthy foods and income. This measure includes access to healthy foods by considering the distance an individual lives from a grocery store or supermarket, locations for health food purchases in most communities, and the inability to access healthy food because of cost barriers.
There is strong evidence that food deserts are correlated with a high prevalence of overweight, obesity, and premature death, as supermarkets traditionally provide healthier options than convenience stores or smaller grocery stores. Additionally, low-income people may face barriers to accessing a consistent healthy food source. Lacking consistent access to food is related to negative health outcomes such as weight gain, premature mortality, asthma, and activity limitations, as well as increased healthcare costs."
Source: Food Environment Index | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
Comparison
Data Sources and Measure Methods
Data Source
"USDA Food Environment Atlas; Map the Meal Gap from Feeding America: From the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): The Atlas assembles statistics on three broad categories of food environment factors:
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Food Choices: Indicators of the community's access to and acquisition of healthy, affordable food, such as access and proximity to a grocery store; the number of food stores and restaurants; expenditures on fast foods; food and nutrition assistance program participation; food prices; food taxes; and availability of local foods.
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Health and Well-Being: Indicators of the community's success in maintaining a healthy diet
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Community Characteristics: Indicators of community characteristics that might influence the food environment, such as demographic composition; income and poverty; population loss; metro-nonmetro status; natural amenities; and recreation and fitness centers.
Using the annual USDA Food Security Survey, Feeding America (Map the Meal Gap) models the relationship between food insecurity and other variables at the state level, and, using information for these variables at the county level, we establish food insecurity by county."
Measure Methods
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"Food Environment Index is a scaled index: The Food Environment Index ranges from a scale of 0 (worst) to 10 (best) and equally weights two indicators of the food environment: 1) Limited access to healthy foods estimates the percentage of the population that is low income and does not live close to a grocery store. Low income is defined as having an annual family income of less than or equal to 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold for the family size. Living close to a grocery store is defined differently in rural and nonrural areas; in rural areas, it means living less than 10 miles from a grocery store, whereas in nonrural areas, it means less than 1 mile. 2) Food insecurity estimates the percentage of the population that did not have access to a reliable source of food during the past year. A two-stage fixed effects model was created using information from the Community Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and American Community Survey to estimate food insecurity. In 2023, counties' average value (median) was 7.6; most counties fell between 6.8 and 8.2. More information on the two metrics the food environment consists of can be found in their measure descriptions."
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"Caution should be used when comparing these estimates across state lines: The food insecurity models include state-level effects that may overestimate differences in border counties."
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"Can This Measure Be Used to Track Progress?: This measure is not appropriate for tracking progress. Individual county improvement is impossible to track due to the scaled nature of the measure. However, the two composite measures that comprise the index could be used individually to track progress with some caveats."
Source: Food Environment Index | County Health Rankings & Roadmaps
References
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Ahern M, Brown C, Dukas S. A national study of the association between food environments and county-level health outcomes. The Journal of Rural Health. 2011; 27:367-379.
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Taggart K. Fast food joints bad for the neighbourhood. Medical Post. 2005; 41.21:23.
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Schafft KA, Jensen EB, Hinrichs CC. Food deserts and overweight schoolchildren: Evidence from Pennsylvania. Rural Sociology. 2009; 74:153-277.
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Wrigley N, Warm D, Margetts B, Whelan A. Assessing the impact of improved retail access on diet in a ‘food desert’: A preliminary report. Urban Studies. 2002; 39.11:2061-2082.
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Brownson RC, Haire-Joshu D, Luke DA. Shaping the context of health: A review of environmental and policy approaches in the prevention of chronic diseases. Annual Review of Public Health. 2006; 27:341-70.
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Adams EJ, Grummer-Strawn L, Chavez G. Food insecurity is associated with increased risk of obesity in California women. The Journal of Nutrition. 2003; 133(4):1070-1074.
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Gunderson C, Ziliak JP. Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes. Health Affairs. 2015; 34: 11.
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Berkowitz SA, Basu S, Meigs JB, Seligman HK. Food Insecurity and Health Care Expenditures in the United States, 2011-2013. Health Services Research. 2018 Jun; 53(3):1600-1620.
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