Abstract
Objective
Examine whether neighborhood characteristics of racial composition, income, and rurality
were related to distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)–accepting
stores in Leon County, Florida.
Design
Cross-sectional; neighborhood and food store data collected in 2008.
Setting and Participants
Forty-eight census tracts as proxy of neighborhoods in Leon County, Florida. All stores
and SNAP-accepting stores were identified from a commercial business directory and
a United States Department of Agriculture SNAP-accepting store list, respectively
(n = 288).
Main Outcome Measures
Proportion of SNAP-accepting stores across neighborhoods.
Analysis
Descriptive statistics to describe distribution of SNAP-accepting stores by neighborhood
characteristics. Proportions of SNAP-accepting stores were compared by neighborhood
characteristics with Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results
Of 288 available stores, 45.1% accepted SNAP benefits. Of the 48 neighborhoods, 16.7%
had no SNAP-accepting stores. Proportions of SNAP-accepting grocery stores were significantly
different by neighborhood racial composition and income. Primarily black neighborhoods
did not have any supermarkets. Results were mixed with regard to distribution of food
stores and SNAP-accepting stores by neighborhood racial composition, income, and rurality.
Conclusions and Implications
This study suggests disparities in distribution of SNAP-accepting stores across neighborhood
characteristics of racial composition, income, and rurality.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 12, 2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
