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Does Living near Public Transport Equate to Food (In)Security in the United States?—Evidence from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)

Author

Listed:
  • Shailesh Chandra

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA)

  • Ramavattula Thirumaleswara Naik

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru 560012, Karnataka, India)

  • Jose Torres-Aguilera

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Management, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA)

Abstract

Food security is intrinsically related to health and well-being. This paper investigates the status quo of food insecurity among the population residing close to transit in various parts of the United States of America (USA). The data from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collected by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) of the USA are analyzed in this research. Logistic regression is carried out by treating food insecurity as the dependent variable and socioeconomic variables such as age, income, education, and dependency on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as independent variables. Food insecurity is assessed with aggregated information on four aspects of inputs from those respondents who live near a transit: (1) worry food would run out; (2) food did not last; (3) could not afford to eat balanced meals; and (4) cut the size of meals or skipped meals. Findings suggest that respondents who live close to public transit in the USA and are from large central metro counties of the Northeastern, Southern, and Western states showed an increase in food insecurity if they were under 65 years of age, had income below the country’s median income, or their educational attainment was below bachelor’s degree. There was a significant association found in food insecurity of respondents living close to transit and subscribed to using food stamps or SNAP. Policies that could alleviate food insecurity by reducing the cost of living near transit are recommended.

Suggested Citation

  • Shailesh Chandra & Ramavattula Thirumaleswara Naik & Jose Torres-Aguilera, 2023. "Does Living near Public Transport Equate to Food (In)Security in the United States?—Evidence from the 2020 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13936-:d:1243485
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Deokrye Baek, 2016. "The Effect of Public Transportation Accessibility on Food Insecurity," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 42(1), pages 104-134, January.
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    3. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Administr), September.
    4. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), September.
    5. Welch, Timothy F., 2013. "Equity in transport: The distribution of transit access and connectivity among affordable housing units," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 283-293.
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    7. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew & Gregory, Christian & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), September.
    8. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2022. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2021," Administrative Publications 327331, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
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