COLUMBUS – A new study from Ohio State found that nearly twice as many households struggle to get enough food than previously estimated.
Researchers from The Ohio State University College of Social Work surveyed more than 650 households in Columbus and found that nearly one third met the government’s definition of “low or very low food security,” according to the study’s lead author, assistant professor Michelle Kaiser.
“Almost a third of the households were food insecure, and more than 16 percent had very low food security, meaning they were skipping meals, at risk for experiencing hunger and probably missing work and school and suffering health problems as a result,” Kaiser said.
Previous estimates based on census data indicated only half that number did not have enough food or adequate access to food, she said.
The study illustrates the problem facing many low-income neighborhoods in large American cities: “food deserts,” areas which experience a scarcity of nutritious food as full-service grocery stores increasingly close stores in low-income neighborhoods or are reluctant to open new stores near areas with the highest poverty, Kaiser said.
The study was released shortly after Kroger announced it was closing its Northern Lights location in the North Linden area of the Northeast Side.
To study the differences in food availability and shopping behaviors in homes that experience both food insecurity and security, the researchers made an effort to identify the 663 households in their study in terms of race, age, gender and household income.
The homes included in the survey amounted about 1 percent of the households in the neighborhoods included in the study area, which Kaiser described as “economically and racially diverse,” and which included Downtown, Franklinton, Victorian Village, Italian Village, Weinland Park and South Linden (see map, above).
The survey found that 32 percent of the households in the neighborhoods had low or very low food security, 26 percent were not at all satisfied with their ability to find food easily, and that 27 percent said it wasn’t easy to find fresh fruits and vegetables, even though 86 percent of those surveyed said nutritional value was “important” or “very important” to them when shopping, Kaiser said.
Kaiser says, while most of the people surveyed shopped at a supermarket, the majority also shopped regularly at other stores close to their homes which, for those with food insecurity, meant carry-outs, corner stores and businesses like drug stores that house partial markets.
Those stores may have some fruits and vegetables and other wholesome foods, but the offerings are quite limited, Kaiser said.
“In a lot of cases, this is where people are going to buy their food on a regular basis because that’s the store they can get to,” she said.
Although the study area was confined to Columbus, Kaiser believes the findings are representative of disparities that exist in other metropolitan areas.