1. Instructor: Dr. Patrick Tschida
Eliminating Food Deserts in Urban Communities in Georgia’s Urban Communities.
Shabreka Walden,
MPH student
Walden University
PUBH
Instructor: Dr. Patrick Tschida
Spring, 2012
Welcome everyone. My name is Shabreka Walden and I will be your presenter today. I would like to thank you all for taking the time to attend this annual conference to listen to my presentation on Food Deserts in the state of Georgia. As key stakeholders in the community we must look deeper within ourselves to grow the affected.

2. Agenda: Introduction Food Desert definition Description of Georgia’s
Key Recommendations
Recommendations
Conclusion

3. Target Audience: Georgia Family Connection Partnership
Georgia Supermarket Access Task Force
Food Trust Organization and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Media
Policy Makers
Today, I hope to influence the organizations listed here and to evoke change that is needed in the state of Georgia when it comes to the access to healthy food options in low income rural communities.

4. What is a Food Desert?
A food desert is considered as a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store.
Breneman, Vince. (2011). Retrieved from

5. Where you live determines your quality of life:
Low Income Communities
Middle class/Affluent Communities
Good Health Status
Fast Food Restaurants
Liquor Stores
Unsafe/Limited Parks
Poor Performing
Schools
Increased Pollution and Toxic Waste Sites
Limited Public
Transportation
Grocery Stores
Better performing schools
Sidewalks
Safe Parks
Good Public Transportation
Poor Health Status

6. Georgia
The situation in Georgia is not unique; a nationwide study of over 28,000 ZIP codes found that low-income ZIP codes have 25 percent fewer per capita supermarkets than middle-income ZIP codes.
The lack of access to affordable and nutritious food has a negative impact on the health of children and families. A growing body of research indicates that people who live in communities without a supermarket suffer from disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related health problems. In contrast, when people live in a community with a supermarket, they tend to eat more servings of fruits and vegetables and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.
Breneman, Vince. (2011). Retrieved from

7. Heart Disease and Stroke
Georgia
Heart Disease and Stroke
In the state of Georgia, heart disease and stroke are among the top three leading causes of death (Giang & et al, 2011), accounting for nearly one-third of all deaths in the state, and overweight or obese adults are significantly more likely to suffer from these conditions.

8. Georgia Barriers: Commute times Poor selections Limited time
Fuel prices
Distance
In a qualitative study of rural Georgia adults, participants identified several barriers to obtaining healthy foods, including poor selection, limited time, fuel prices, and the distance (15-45 miles) to larger communities with bigger stores and better selection. Another study found that longer distance traveled to the primary grocery store was associated with higher BMI. This previous work, taken together with our results, supports the notion that rural residents who travel farther to shop for food may purchase less healthful food.

9. Who is most affected? Nearly two million Georgia residents,
including close to 500,000 children, live in lower income areas with poor supermarket access.
According to a study conducted by the Food for Every Child, people who live in lower-income areas without access to supermarkets suffer from diet-related deaths at a rate higher than that experienced by the population as a whole. Based on additional studies conducted by The Food Trust and others, access to fresh, affordable and nutritious food plays a role in determining what people eat. People who can only access poor food choices eat poorly.
Food for Every Child: The Need for More Supermarkets in Georgia. (2011). Retrieved from:

10. Key Recommendations: Grant and loan program Tax incentives
Conduct research
Involve the community in policy making.
I offer the following recommendations to the State and city governments, private funders, and community developers that can help eradicate what we know as food deserts. One recommendation that is to provide grant and loan programs to support local supermarket development projects in order to increase the availability of affordable and nutritious food in underserved areas.
provide financial support for a wide range of healthy food access projects in underserved communities through loans, grants, and tax incentives. Efforts are under
way in states such as Illinois, New York, California, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania, and cities such as Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, Detroit, and Washington, DC have adopted such policies. The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing
Initiative was the first such effort, creating 88 new healthy food retail outlets in its first six years.

11. Conclusion:
To conclude, it is the responsibility of the community to ensure that everyone has access to healthy “green” food. Whether we invest into better transportation systems in those lower income communities or we provide incentives for supermarkets to build their stores in those same communities. Not only will this increase the health of the area, but also provide jobs and economic stability for the people who live there. We can not simply, turn the other cheek while parents in lower income communities feed their children fast-food as dinner Monday through Friday because that is the only option near by. I ask that we all think about the change that we can bring forth to make a difference. Thank you. Are there any questions?

12. References:
Breneman, Vince. (2011). Retrieved from
Jilcott SB, Liu H, Moore JB, Bethel JW, Wilson J, Ammerman AS. “Commute times, food retail gaps, and body mass index in North Carolina counties”. Prev Chronic Dis 2010;7(5):A107. Retrieved from: 
Flournoy, R. (2011). “Healthy Foods, Healthy Communities”. Retrieved from:
eca3bbf35af0%7D/HFHC_FULL_FINAL.PDF
Giang,T, Harries, C. and st and David Treering, Food for Every Child: The Need for More Supermarkets in Georgia. (2011). Retrieved from:
For further information, please refer to the following references if you have any further questions about the information provided in this presentation.