What does this score mean?

A score of 100 represents racial equity, meaning there are no racial disparities in the outcomes between black and white populations. The lower the Equity Score, the greater the disparity.

For Access to Healthy Food, a score of 100 – a score reflecting racial equity – would mean black and white residents have equal access to healthy food. It is important to note that for this indicator, equity is not our only goal; we also want to improve outcomes for all.

WHAT DOES THIS ANALYSIS MEAN?

White residents are slightly more likely than black residents to live in census tracts with low access to healthy food, according to the USDA metric used here. Only in the City of St. Louis are black residents more likely to live in census tracts with low access to supermarkets, with about 11.9%% of black residents living in low access census tracts and only 6.3%% of white residents in such census tracts. If access to healthy food were more equitable in the City of St. Louis, approximately 8,440 more black residents would live within one mile of a grocery store.

Proximity to grocery stores is only one factor in determining access to healthy food; another is the income used to buy healthy food. The USDA Food Access Research Atlas also includes information on low-income census tracts. When examining census tracts that are both low-income and have low access to grocery stores, the racial disparities in the region become much more apparent. Census tracts that meet both these criteria make up over 173,000 area residents, about 9%% of the population.

In the City of St. Louis, the share of black residents living in a low-income, low-access census tract (11.6%) is almost eight times as high as the share of white residents in similar census tracts (1.5%; an equity score of 9). In St. Louis County, the share of black residents in low-income, low-access tracts (27.2%) is over five times the size of the share of white residents in these tracts (5.1%; an equity score of 19). In St. Clair County, the share of black residents in low-income, low-access tracts (32.8%) is over three times as high as the share of white residents (10.1%; an equity score of 31). In St. Charles County, there are no census tracts that meet both low-income and low-access to grocery store criteria; however, the share of black residents living in low-income census tracts is over twice as high as the share of white residents living in low-income census tracts (13.9% relative to 6.4%).

Why Does Access to Healthy Food Matter?

According to the USDA, “limited access to supermarkets, supercenters, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy and affordable food may make it harder for some Americans to eat a healthy diet.” Residents who do not have a healthy diet are more likely to struggle with food-related health issues, including obesity. Without convenient access to grocery stores, it is difficult for residents to eat healthy food. The Ferguson Commission is particularly concerned with hunger among children: “Insufficient nutritional intake in a child’s first two years of life can lead to increased susceptibility to short-term and long-term illness, as well as slowed mental development and physical growth (Hoddinott et al, 2008).”

Which Calls to Action from the Ferguson Commission’s report are linked with this indicator?

The Ferguson Commission calls to action related to access to healthy food include:

• End Hunger for Children and Families

Questions for Further Investigation:

• Why is there a racial disparity in Access to Healthy Food?
• What can St. Louis do to reduce racial disparities in Access to Healthy Food?
• What initiatives are currently underway to reduce racial disparities in Access to Healthy Food?

Access to Healthy Food Data