Food desert versus food oasis: An exploration of residents' perceptions of factors influencing food buying practices.

摘要

Utilizing concept mapping, the primary goal of this dissertation research was to explore the range of factors that influence food buying practices. A total of twenty five participants from two low-income zip codes in Pittsburgh, PA completed the concept mapping process. The participants were recruited based on residential proximity to a supermarket.;This dissertation is organized around the presentation of three manuscripts. The first manuscript presents an exhaustive review of the literature related to food deserts. The research presented in manuscript two identified perceptions of factors influencing food buying practices among residents of an urban food desert (n=12) compared to a food oasis (n=13). Results identified 121 unique statements that were grouped by participants into 12 clusters, or unique concepts. Analyses show that overall, the average cluster ratings for residents of the food desert were higher than residents of the food oasis.;Research presented in manuscript three addressed how residents' perceptions of factors influencing food buying practices differ by food security status. Findings show that food insecure participants rated clusters higher than food secure participants. A secondary aim was to explore how important these factors are to hindering healthy eating based on food desert and food security statuses. Overall, cluster rankings were similar for food secure participants in a food desert and food secure participants in a food oasis. However, participants in the food desert rated all of the clusters higher than participants in the food oasis. In comparing food insecure participants in a food desert to a food oasis, findings show that although cluster rankings were different, average cluster ratings were similar.;The public health significance of this study is that it contributes to our understanding of factors that influence food buying practices based on neighborhood and individual-level characteristics, an area that has received limited consideration. Based on findings from this research, areas for future research, and policy and program development have been uncovered to address the lack of access to healthy foods for urban residents of low-income areas.