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Health Behaviors

Food Environment Index

Current Value

7.9

2022

Definition

Line Bar Comparison

Why Is This Important?

The County Health Rankings measure of the food environment accounts for both 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 high prevalence of overweight, obesity, and premature death as supermarkets traditionally provide healthier options than convenience stores or smaller grocery stores. Additionally, those with low income may face barriers to accessing a consistent source of healthy food. 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 health care costs.

For more information, please visit the Food Environment Index for Cabarrus County Page on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings.

Notes on Methodology

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 2021, the average value (median) for counties was 7.6 and most counties fell between about 6.9 and 8.2. More information on the two metrics the food environment consists of can be found in their measure descriptions.

To learn more about the Measure Methods, please visit the Food Environment Index, Measure Methods Section, on the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings Website.

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