Deserting the Food Desert: How Socioeconomic, Environmental and Behavioral Factors Affect Health-Related Outcomes

Abstract

Areas that lack access to affordable and healthy food are called food deserts. Research on food insecurity and health outcomes has not been able to find a significant association between the two, suggesting that other socioeconomic and behavioral factors might have a more substantial influence on health outcomes. Additionally, there is little research explaining socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health at the census tract level, making it challenging to develop and implement community-level initiatives to improve health outcomes. To address this gap, this study expands the factors that affect health to include socioeconomic factors, fitness centers, and specialty health services, focusing specifically on Mercer County, New Jersey. The association between these factors and 28 chronic disease-related health outcomes is assessed using several multivariate regression models. Qualitative data is used to understand further the factors affecting health-related products. The findings reveal that social, environmental, and behavioral influences are paramount to health outcomes and have implications for community health initiatives, policy, and urban design.