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The Impact of Food Deserts on Food Insufficiency and SNAP Participation among the Elderly

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  • Katie Fitzpatrick
  • Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley
  • Michele Ver Ploeg

Abstract

Residents of neighborhoods with limited access to grocery stores may face barriers to obtaining adequate food for a healthy diet. Low-income elderly may be uniquely affected by these so-called "food deserts" due to limited transportation options, strong attachments to local neighborhoods, fixed incomes, and physical limitations for food shopping. Using 2006 and 2010 Health and Retirement Study data linked to census tract-level measures of food deserts, this study measures whether living in a food desert affects food and material hardship, participation in food assistance programs, and the food spending of elderly adults. In both cross-sectional and fixed effects regressions of elderly residents of urban counties, we find little evidence that living in a food desert affects these outcomes. We find, however, that individuals residing in a food desert without a vehicle are 12 percentage points more likely to report food insufficiency. Those SNAP recipients living in food deserts are 11 percentage points more likely to receive subsidized meals, while nonparticipants in food deserts and SNAP recipients outside of food deserts are less likely to receive subsidized meals. Our findings suggest that seniors without vehicles and SNAP recipients in food deserts may be the most vulnerable to limited food store access.

Suggested Citation

  • Katie Fitzpatrick & Nadia Greenhalgh-Stanley & Michele Ver Ploeg, 2016. "The Impact of Food Deserts on Food Insufficiency and SNAP Participation among the Elderly," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 98(1), pages 19-40.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:ajagec:v:98:y:2016:i:1:p:19-40.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ajae/aav044
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Stacy Dickert‐Conlin & Katie Fitzpatrick & Brian Stacy & Laura Tiehen, 2021. "The Downs and Ups of the SNAP Caseload: What Matters?," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(3), pages 1026-1050, September.
    2. Di Fang & Michael R. Thomsen & Rodolfo M. Nayga & Wei Yang, 2022. "Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a survey of low-income Americans," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(1), pages 165-183, February.
    3. Fitzpatrick, Katie & Greenhalgh-Stanley, Nadia & Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2019. "Food deserts and diet-related health outcomes of the elderly," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Joel Cuffey & Timothy K. M. Beatty, 2022. "Effects of competing food desert policies on store format choice among SNAP participants," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(4), pages 1485-1511, August.
    5. Xu, Lei & Plakias, Zoë, 2022. "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Food Insecurity, and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Appalachian Ohio," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322370, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Bergmans, Rachel S. & Wegryn-Jones, Riley, 2020. "Examining associations of food insecurity with major depression among older adults in the wake of the Great Recession," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    7. Villas-Boas, Sofia B & Taylor, Rebecca, 2016. "Store Choice among Low Income Households," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt33z409dq, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    8. Cäzilia Loibl & Alec P. Rhodes & Stephanie Moulton & Donald Haurin & Chrisse Edmunds, 2022. "Food insecurity among older adults in the U.S.: The role of mortgage borrowing," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 549-574, June.
    9. Sanghyo Kim & Kyei-Im Lee & Seong-Yoon Heo & Seung-Chul Noh, 2020. "Identifying Food Deserts and People with Low Food Access, and Disparities in Dietary Habits and Health in Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-21, October.

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