IDENTIFYING THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS

Abstract

Despite being one of the nation’s wealthiest states, food insecurity is prevalent in many Georgia communities. Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough food to lead a healthy, active life. Addressing the complex challenge of Georgia’s hunger and food insecurity problem requires a comprehensive understanding of the food environment from the perspective of a Georgia household and what it means for that household to access, prepare, and consume food. The food environment is generally considered a connected system of physical, social, economic, cultural, and political factors that impact access to food. However, there is no universal definition of “food environment,” much of the current food environment research focuses on the physical presence and availability of food, often excluding the experience of the individual or household. The study's objectives are to identify the factors that shape a household’s food environment and to understand how rurality moderates the relationship between the household’s food environment and food security. The study results indicate that the characteristics that impact the ability to access and prepare food can be used to predict food insecurity. This study found that distance to the closest grocery store was not a significant predictor of food insecurity, but other access-related variables, like the ability to afford fruit and vegetables, annual household income, and transportation reliability, were significant predictors of food insecurity. Additionally, variables associated with the ability to prepare food significantly predicted food insecurity. In this study, food insecurity was greater in rural than in non-rural households. The odds of food insecurity were 14.09 greater in rural households that could not afford fruit and vegetables. Rural households with an insufficient annual income to support the household were 13.23 times more likely to be food insecure. Rural households without the necessary tools and equipment to prepare food were 15.23 times more likely to be food insecure. The study highlights the importance of understanding the food environment from the perspective of a Georgia household and the need to address the complex challenge of food insecurity in the state.