Is There Really A Link Between Food Deserts And Obesity?

New York Times:

It has become an article of faith among some policy makers and advocates, including Michelle Obama, that poor urban neighborhoods are food deserts, bereft of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Read the whole story at New York Times

Comments

[OLJW00]

03:22 PM on 04/19/2012

Another liberal urban myth (literally) debunked.

[Mr Hoodoo]

01:34 PM on 04/19/2012

Er..."food deserts"?

Are there other kinds, like non-food deserts?

Aren't deserts considered in the food realm to begin with?

[adamben]

06:04 PM on 04/18/2012

i think that it is a complicated issue with lifestyle and cost being a big part of it. if cheaper healthy food was nearby, and people were educated on how to prepare it you will see a decrease in obesity.

i live in a poor area and there are a lot of fast food (even drive-thrus, and this is nyc!). and, i got to gentrified neighborhoods and don;t see fast food but lots of healthier options (restaurants and supermarkets).

[mothergrace]

01:29 PM on 04/18/2012

One thing I noticed is that the study does not talk about cost. Living in what could be considered more of a food desert, there are markets but, and this is a big but, the larger markets and stores in general are noticeably more expensive than their counterparts (the exact same chain market) a few miles out of the "desert."

I have found that if I go just that few extra miles, even with the cost of gas, I have access to better markets with better selection as well as a better choice from drug stores, department stores and even pet stores than I do closer to home.

I love to shop locally but I do not like to be cheated.

[Steve41]

02:55 PM on 04/18/2012

Unfortunately with the higher costs associated with more urban environments(rents/taxes etc) this is probably unavoidable. If 10,000 square ft in the city costs more to maintain than 40,000 sq ft in the suburbs that added expense has to be made up somewhere along with reducing room for stock.

[mothergrace]

05:00 PM on 04/18/2012

That is probably true for some urban areas but less desirable urban areas are often cheaper because of other problems. Those problems can sometimes carry attendant costs but that doesn't explain the poor quality.

I remember someone telling me in San Diego, that they shopped in La Jolla (very well to do) because they worked there and the food was not only better priced but much better quality than the markets in their own area. You could even get restaurant grade cuts of meat not usually available at decent prices.

Also, when I was a kid my father opened up the family dry cleaning business in a poor neighborhood because it was all the rent he could afford. All around him he saw merchants overcharging and complained about it constantly because he didn't think it was fair.

I am beginning to think this is a very complicated problem depending upon exactly where you live.