Health disparities: Using policies to rethink our strategies for eliminating the impact of food deserts by focusing on unhealthy dietary patterns

• Date: 01 August 2019
• Published date: 01 August 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1875

ACADEMIC PAPER

Health disparities: Using policies to rethink our strategies for

eliminating the impact of food deserts by focusing on

unhealthy dietary patterns

Edward V. Wallace

Department of Africana Studies, University of

Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Correspondence

Edward V. Wallace, Department of Africana

Studies, University of Cincinnati, 3609

French Hall, P.O. Box 210370, Cincinnati,

OH 45221‐0370, USA.

Email: edward.wallace@uc.edu

For years, we have been interested in understanding the relationship between dietary

patterns and diseases, and most recently, we have put efforts toward analyzing the

impact of food deserts as they relate to dietary patterns. Unhealthy eating has

become an epidemic in low‐income neighborhoods that are considered to be food

deserts due to the fact that people are not meeting their recommended daily intake

of nutritionally dense foods. Adults should be consuming at least 20 to 35 g of fiber

daily, however, many Americans only consume 12 to 17 g of fiber daily at best. Fur-

thermore, as a society, we Americans consume way too much added sugar, saturated

fat, and salt. Although there are a number of reasons that unhealthy dietary patterns

exist in our society especially in low‐income communities, it is important that we pay

particular attention to how food deserts have developed and how they are major con-

tributors to the overall poor health of low‐income Americans. Therefore, the purpose

of this is paper is to encourage its audience to rethink how we can implement policies

to address the issue of unhealthy dietary patterns by reducing or eliminating food

deserts. Specifically, we explore the effect of implementing evidence‐based policies

such as nutrition initiatives, corner store initiatives, menu labeling, food assistance

programs, and the punitive taxation of sugary beverages and unhealthy foods similar

to the punitive taxes placed on tobacco.

1|INTRODUCTION

For years, researchers have been interested in understanding the rela-

tionship between dietary patterns and diseases (Akhlaghi et al., 2017).

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the

majority of the research in the past 20 years has been on malnutrition,

particularly in groups of people who have neurodegenerative disease,

acute illness, and people with social issues, including the inability to

cook and shop for food (McEvilly, 2016). Those living in poverty suffer

the greatest consequences and are at higher risk for disease (Harris &

Jack, 2011).

Most recently, researchers have focused on the impact of food

deserts as it relates to dietary patterns. In October 2015, the American

Medical Association urged physicians to screen children who reside in

food desert neighborhoods and identify the negative health outcomes

associated with inadequate access to food (Tomayko et al., 2017).

Data from the Unites States Department of Agriculture indicated that

the highest number of food deserts exist in states with the largest

populations (Yousefian, Leighton, Fox, & Hartley, 2011).

Unhealthy eating has become an epidemic in low‐income neigh-

borhoods that are considered to be food desserts due to the fact that

people are not meeting their recommended daily intake of nutrition-

ally dense foods (Wig, Bhatt, Sakhuja, Srivastava, & Agarwal, 2008).

In the United States, it is recommended that the average American

diet should consist of 20 to 35 g of fiber daily; however, many people

only consume 12 to 17 g of fiber in their daily diet (Green, 2015). Fur-

thermore, as a society, we consume more than the recommended daily

This manuscript is not being considered for publication elsewhere at this time

and has not been previously accepted or published elsewhere.

The author (Edward V. Wallace) of this manuscript transfers copyright owner-

ship to The Journal of Public Affairs–Special Issue Food Desert/S ecurity upon

publication.

Received: 3 April 2018 Revised: 28 August 2018 Accepted: 26 September 2018

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1875

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1875.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1875

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of7