Food Deserts, Obesity, and Health Outcomes

Diet is a significant factor in the development of obesity. Maintaining a healthy diet can be particularly challenging for individuals living in food deserts. A lack of access to affordable, nutritious food often contributes to higher rates of obesity, poor cardiovascular health, and increased risks of cancer. Food deserts are areas where low-income urban residents are more than a mile away from a supermarket, or rural residents are over ten miles away. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget.

In Miami-Dade County, 18 areas are identified as having both high obesity rates and a high percentage of SNAP recipients compared to other places within the county. In these areas, at least 31.6% of the population is affected by obesity, and a minimum of 8.6% receive SNAP benefits. Among these high obesity and SNAP areas, there are 53 tracts classified as food deserts. Conversely, areas without food deserts and characterized by lower obesity and SNAP participation rates show a maximum of 26.2% obesity and 4.2% SNAP recipients. These places also demonstrate better outcomes in cancer and heart health.

Place % of Population with Obesity % of Population receiving SNAP Age Adjusted All Cancers Rate1,2 Age Adjusted Colorectal Cancer Rate1,2 % of Population with Coronary Heart Disease1,2 % of Population with Stroke1,2 % of Population with High Blood Pressure1,2
① Opa-locka 39.5 18.3 683.56 56.84 8.1 5.6 42.0
② Gladeview 40.4 15.6 600.23 62.32 8.2 6.4 44.3
③ Brownsville 40.8 14.8 613.51 64.18 8.5 6.6 44.6
④ Florida City 39.6 13.7 663.93 84.78 9.0 6.5 42.3
⑤ Pinewood 37.2 12.6 508.78 50.34 7.0 5.1 41.0
⑥ Goulds 33.4 15.4 670.07 66.86 6.0 3.9 35.4
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
⑦ Aventura 24.3 2.0 513.13 37.63 4.8 2.2 25.4
⑧ Coral Gables 23.8 1.4 293.51 20.83 4.1 1.8 23.6
⑨ Bal Harbour 23.1 1.7 531.60 35.06 4.5 2.1 24.5
⑩ Palmetto Bay 23.0 1.4 599.90 44.20 4.4 2.0 24.5
⑪ Pinecrest 21.9 1.3 568.17 40.14 4.2 1.8 23.4
⑫ Key Biscayne 22.5 0.2 527.00 39.86 3.9 1.7 22.3
Miami-Dade County Places with at least 1000 people.
1 Small geography estimates.
2 Cancer rate and cardiovascular outcomes are percents of population above 18 years old.

Literature

  • Jin J. Obesity and the Heart. JAMA. 2013;310(19):2113. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281901
  • Kathleen Y. Wolin, Kenneth Carson, Graham A. Colditz, Obesity and Cancer, The Oncologist, Volume 15, Issue 6, June 2010, Pages 556–565, https://doi.org/10.1634/theoncologist.2009-0285

Data Sources