Mpf57

I am a senior studying sociology and health policy so I am most interested in looking at nutrition articles that consider the social context of nutritional and behavioral decisions, as well as the role public policy plays in nutrition and health. My third main interest is the nutritional implications of vegetarian diets.

The article I have decided to explore is food deserts. The socioeconomic risk factors for experiencing a food desert are well-documented. The nutritional implications of food deserts have been explored far less. Food desert

The overarching research question is- "What are the nutritional implications of the typical food desert diet?"

Actual Edits to the Food Deserts Page:

Underneath the "Nutrition" Section of the Food Deserts article, I would like to add the following subheadings and 3 paragraphs.

Overweight and Obesity

Individuals who live in food deserts are more likely to suffer from overweight and obesity than individuals who reside in food-secure environments. This is because food deserts often lead individuals to consume adequate or excess calories from nutrient-deficient foods; a common misconception is that food deserts may cause starvation and underweight. Food deserts are not linked to underweight in the U.S., but they are very highly correlated with malnutrition and chronic disease. This is because the typical diet of an individual residing in a food desert often includes binge eating, overconsumption of energy-rich foods, and low consumption of fresh foods, which cause weight gain, vitamin deficiencies, and increase cardiovascular risk.

Notably, food swamps are an even greater predictor than food deserts of overweight and obese BMI prevalence. Food swamps are directly characterized by both a lack of full-service grocery stores or fresh food markets, as well as an abundance of high-fat or high-calorie food sources, while a food desert refers only to the absence of full-service grocery stores or fresh food markets.

Chronic Illness

In addition to overweight and obesity, individuals who live in food deserts are more likely to suffer from pre-diabetes, diabetes, and heart disease than their food oasis counterparts. However, a variety of other social factors increase or decrease one's likelihood of developing chronic disease independent of their food environment. For example, food desert residents with lower education and socioeconomic status are the most likely to develop chronic illness. Regardless, residents of food deserts across the board have been found to consume more of all of the following categories: sugary beverages, high-sugar and high-fat snacks, and fast food meals, while they consume less of all of the following categories: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, relative to those outside the food desert. The link between poor diets and a variety of chronic illnesses has been well-established.

Final Annotated Bibliography

Reflist

Citation 1

Summary: The article presents a review of the effects of food deserts on childhood obesity in communities in Arkansas and found that the food desert functions as a causal link towards overweight and obese BMI. In the context of my paragraphs, the research is used to support the statement that living in a food desert leads to weight gain. The limitations of the source are that it is not a clinical trial, but a summary of other evidence. The evidence is not geographically diverse at it refers only to communities in Arkansas, though it is reasonable to assume that the findings can be applied generally.

Citation 2

Summary: The researchers determine that the risk of cardiovascular disease increases among individuals who live in food deserts because they chronically face malnutrition, or inadequate nutritional status. Some of the most adverse nutritional behaviors in food diets include binge eating, overconsumption of energy-rich foods, and lack of consumption of fresh foods. The primary result is vitamin deficiency, deficiency in fiber intake, and insulin resistance. The study’s limitations lie in its overuse of blanket cause-and-effect statements that are not strongly supported by the evidence given in the article.  

Citation 3

Summary: The article uses data collected from the United States Department of Agriculture to determine whether food deserts, food swamps, or both are linked to overweight and obesity. The researchers that determined that both food environments are linked to overweight and obesity but the correlation is stronger with food swamps. It is important to make the distinction between a general lack of food and a lack of the wrong food, and it is significant that either deficiency will lead to overweight and obesity. The article also considered income, socioeconomic status, and inequality, which play a major role in health and nutrition outcomes independent of the food environment. The main limitation is that the data are now over ten years old, but it is reasonable to assume that the results still hold true today. They may have become more relevant as inequality has increased.  

Citation 4

Summary: A sample of 32 patients living a region of Indiana classified as a food desert were enrolled in a study to compare their chronic disease incidence to nationally representative samples. The study found that heart disease was much higher and glucose control was much lower for the sample, and the worst among the lowest-educated of the group. The study is significant because it shows that food deserts are linked to an increase in pre-diabetes, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. However, the study is geographically limited because it refers only to data that was collected in Indiana. Still, it is reasonable to assume that the results can be generalized for other food desert communities.

Citation 5

Summary: Several regions classified as food deserts were analyzed to determine the makeup of the average diet that residents in these regions consume. It was found that, relative to individuals residing in food oases, individuals who live in food deserts consume more of all of the following categories: sugary beverages, high-sugar and high-fat snacks, and fast food meals, and they consume less of all of the following categories: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products. It is important because it debunks the theory that food deserts in the U.S. cause starvation and underweight. The article’s primary limitation is that it not a true meta-analysis.  

Citation 6

Summary: It would be unreasonable to list the countless number of links between nutrition and disease/health. This Wikipedia page “Healthy Diet” provides a general overview of the enormous and growing body of literature that demonstrates the relationships between what we eat and our health outcomes. Interested Wikipedia users can browse this page for more information on the types of food consumed in food deserts and the illnesses that are likely to result.  

(Draft of Annotated Bibiliography)

Reflist

Food deserts increase chronic disease incidence

Food deserts increase obesity/childhood obesity

Individuals residing in food deserts consume more fast food, junk food

Food deserts cause nutritional deficiencies

Module 4 Assignment

Annotated Bibliography:

Article 1: Food deserts increase chronic disease incidence

Summary- a sample of 32 patients living a region of Indiana classified as a food desert were enrolled in a study to compare their chronic disease incidence to nationally representative samples. The study found that heart disease was much higher and glucose control was much lower for the sample, and the worst among the lowest-educated of the group.

1.     The study shows that food deserts increase pre-diabetes, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity

2.     The researchers create a cohort study that controls for a wide variety of biases

3.     Ultimately there is no control group. An Indianan food oasis community should also be enrolled and compared. Other regions should be added and included.

4.     Food deserts negatively impact nutritional intake and health

Article 2: Food deserts increase obesity in children and adults

Summary- a randomized controlled trial of individuals in several Arkansas communities was conducted to determine whether food deserts increase obesity. These communities included always residing in a food desert, previously outside a food desert but now in a food desert, previously in a food desert but now outside a food desert, and never in a food desert. The rates of obesity among children and adults increased with each of these categories. The effect of living in a food desert on weight gain, overweight, and obesity, are statistically significant.

1.    The study shows that living in a food deserts leads to reversible weight gain and obesity.

2.    The RCT is the gold standard for biomedical studies

3.    Arkansas is the only region included in the analysis. Broader geographic enrollment may be important.

4.    Food deserts negatively impact weight management

Article 3:  Individuals residing in food deserts consume more fast food, junk food

Summary- several regions classified as food deserts were enrolled in a meta-analysis to determine the makeup of the average diet that residents in these regions consume. It was found that, relative to individuals residing in food oases, individuals who live in food deserts consume more of all of the following categories: sugary beverages, high-sugar and high-fat snacks, and fast food meals, and they consume less of all of the following categories: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products.

1.    The study shows that individuals in “food deserts” are not dealing with starvation diets. They have sufficient- or perhaps excess- energy consumption but their diets are highly comprised of nutritionally devoid fast foods, junk foods, and sugar drinks.

2.    The study undermines the hypothesis that food deserts lead to low consumption and low nourishment. The low nourishment results from the food quality, not the quantity.

3.    The article could explore the specific nutritional deficiencies that result from a diet high in fat, sugar, and salt, rather than fruits, vegetables, and grains

4. Food deserts do not decease overall energy consumption, but rather shift the composition of energy consumption to unhealthy foods

Article 4: The diets consumed in food deserts cause nutritional deficiencies

Summary- The researchers determine that the risk of cardiovascular disease increases among individuals who live in food deserts because they chronically face malnutrition, or inadequate nutritional status. Some of the most adverse nutritional behaviors in food diets include binge eating, overconsumption of energy-rich foods, and lack of consumption of fresh foods. The primary result is vitamin deficiency, deficiency in fiber intake, and insulin resistance.  

1.    The study shows that food deserts lead to malnutrition which adversely affect the heart. The malnutrition does not result from low calorie diets, but sufficient consumption of adequate calories of the wrong foods

2.    The study looks at the diet directly, rather than its implications

3.    The study makes a lot of cause-and-effect statements that are logically sound but poorly supported in context.

4.  Food deserts lead to deficiencies in the consumption of vitamins and fiber.