Food Insecurity in Hartford

By: Will Thomas, Samira Quraishi, and Gifty Kankam

Hartford County at a Glance

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• Of the 29 towns in Hartford County, 26 have levels of poverty <10%
• Exceptions are Hartford (33.9%), New Britain (22.9%), and East Hartford (15.3%)
• In 2009, the median household income in Hartford, CT was <$30,000, compared to $63,000 in surrounding areas
• In 2015, median household income was $30,630 in the city of Hartford

What is Food Insecurity?

“The lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.” -USDA

“The state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” -Oxford Dictionary

“An economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” -Dictionary.com

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Food Insecurity in Hartford vs. CT & USA

• US food insecurity rate = 15.4%
• CT food insecurity rate = 13.1%
• Hartford County food insecurity rate = 13.4%
• City of Hartford food insecurity rate = N/A*
• Residents of Hartford were at the greatest risk for food insecurity in the state (Rabinowitz & Martin, 2012)

Urban Food Landscape

• Many urban environments lack large-scale retail supermarkets which are typical in affluent suburban neighborhoods
• Supermarkets offer a large variety of nutritious foods at affordable prices
• Presence of supermarkets in a community is associated with a lower prevalence of obesity
• Corner stores/bodegas are ubiquitous in cities → offer less healthy foods
• Associated with overconsumption of high-fat, high-sugar foods and higher rates of obesity and chronic disease
• Residents must travel further for nutritious and affordable groceries or shop at corner stores

Food Landscape in Hartford

• 11 out of 13 chain supermarket stores left the city between 1968-1984
• Hartford was ranked as having the 8^th worst access to full service grocery stores compared to other cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people
• Despite the lack of grocery stores, there is an abundance of corner stores
• Approximately 125 corner stores in Hartford

Nutritional Outcomes Related to Food Insecurity

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• Obesity is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death
• Approximately 40% of children in Hartford are obese or overweight, compared to 25% of children in CT
• Insufficient access to healthy and affordable food may adversely affect dietary intake and lead to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease

An apple a day?

• We compared the price of an apple at the various corner stores we visited with the price of an apple at Save-a-lot
• Corner stores - $1/apple
• Save-a-lot - $0.50/apple

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“And they wonder why the obesity rate is going up. Because the stuff that’s bad for you is cheaper.”

What does research in urban environments tell us?

Factors Influencing Urban Residents’ Shopping Behavior (in order of importance)

Supermarkets

1. Proximity to home
2. Transportation
3. Lower Prices
4. Better Quality

Corner Stores

1. Proximity to home
2. Familiarity with owner

Other Important Findings

• The emergence of a new supermarket in a former “food desert” - a low income area with low access to nutritious food - resulted in significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption
• With each additional supermarket in a census tract, fruit and vegetable intake increased

Other Important Findings (Continued)

• Those who shop most frequently at corner stores have higher rates of food insecurity and lower SES than those shopping more frequently at large supermarkets → increased risk for health disparities
• When stores carry a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, customers buy them
• Increasing the availability and affordability of healthy foods within corner stores is needed to serve those who need it most

Key Determinants of Dietary Intake

• Accessibility
• Availability
• Affordability

Hartford’s Winners and Losers

In Summary

Possibilities for the Future -Uplifting Solutions

• “New Push For Hartford Supermarket Considers Downtown, Neighborhoods” (The Hartford Courant)
• “The city and the Hartford Community Loan Fund, a private, not-for-profit focused on neighborhood revitalization, have partnered to launch a study after previous efforts to open a full-service market in downtown faltered or went nowhere” (9/25/17)
• Corner store focused interventions
• Incentivize store owners to take on social, ethical responsibilities by certifying participating stores as “healthy stores” or “community-serving stores” and provide them with endorsements
• Employ legal regulations and licensing requirements to increase healthy food inventory in corner stores

Parting Thoughts

• Many store interventions look to increase the supply for healthy products, but if demand is not generated, products will not sell and store owners will be reluctant to promote products in the future
• For interventions to last, the store owner and consumer must both be satisfied

References

• Advisory Commission on Food Policy, 2011
• Bodor, Rose, Farley, Swalm, and Scott, 2007
• Cole, 2013
• https://datausa.io/profile/geo/hartford-ct/
• End Hunger Connecticut!, 2017
• Giang, Karpyn, Laurison, Hillier, and Perry, 2008
• Gittelsohn, Franceschini, Rasooly, Ries, Ho, Pavlovich, Santos, Jennings, and Frick, 2007
• Gittelsohn, Laska, Karpyn, Klingler, and Ayala, 2014
• Hartford Courant, 2017
• Kim, Budd, Batorsky, Krubiner, Manchikanti, Waldrop, Trude, and Gittelsohn, 2017
• http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2014/overall/connecticut/county/hartford
• Martin, Ghosh, Page, Wolff, McMinimee, and Zhang, 2014
• Martin, Havens, Boyle, Matthews, Schilling, Harel, and Ferris, 2011
• Mui, Lee, Adam, Kharmats, Budd, Nau, and Gittelsohn, 2015
• Rabinowitz & Martin, 2012