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Relationships between Vacant Homes and Food Swamps: A Longitudinal Study of an Urban Food Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Yeeli Mui

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Jessica C. Jones-Smith

    (Department of Health Services & Nutritional Sciences Program, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

  • Rachel L. J. Thornton

    (Center for Child and Community Health Research, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Keshia Pollack Porter

    (Department of Health Policy and Management, Institute for Health and Social Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

  • Joel Gittelsohn

    (Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
    Global Obesity Prevention Center (GOPC) at Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA)

Abstract

Research indicates that living in neighborhoods with high concentrations of boarded-up vacant homes is associated with premature mortality due to cancer and diabetes, but the mechanism for this relationship is unclear. Boarded-up housing may indirectly impact residents’ health by affecting their food environment. We evaluated the association between changes in vacancy rates and changes in the density of unhealthy food outlets as a proportion of all food outlets, termed the food swamp index, in Baltimore, MD (USA) from 2001 to 2012, using neighborhood fixed-effects linear regression models. Over the study period, the average food swamp index increased from 93.5 to 95.3 percentage points across all neighborhoods. Among non-African American neighborhoods, increases in the vacancy rate were associated with statistically significant decreases in the food swamp index (b = −0.38; 90% CI, −0.64 to −0.12; p -value: 0.015), after accounting for changes in neighborhood SES, racial diversity, and population size. A positive association was found among low-SES neighborhoods (b = 0.15; 90% CI, 0.037 to 0.27; p -value: 0.031). Vacant homes may influence the composition of food outlets in urban neighborhoods. Future research should further elucidate the mechanisms by which more distal, contextual factors, such as boarded-up vacant homes, may affect food choices and diet-related health outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Yeeli Mui & Jessica C. Jones-Smith & Rachel L. J. Thornton & Keshia Pollack Porter & Joel Gittelsohn, 2017. "Relationships between Vacant Homes and Food Swamps: A Longitudinal Study of an Urban Food Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:11:p:1426-:d:119735
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