The Geography of Nutrition in Grand Rapids
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Anthropology
Mentor Information
Gwyn Madden
Department
Anthropology
Location
Kirkhof Center KC 68
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Culture, Health, Human Rights, Social Class, Social Science
Abstract
There are various factors that influence nutrition, within social sciences it can be effective to look at geography and type of nutrition. Does the frequency of higher and lesser quality nutrition outlets correlate to economic conditions in an area? Data were gathered from CRI database, USDA Farmers Market Directory, and Google Maps. Number of fast food and healthy alternatives were compared in two sample groups of five neighborhoods each in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In neighborhoods with >15% in poverty, 36 fast food and 14 healthy alternatives were observed. In neighborhoods with 15% of population in poverty and fast food restaurants. Healthy alternatives show noticeable disparity between sample groups, with an observed difference of 1275.81 per capita between samples. The results support the hypothesis showing more poor nutritional outlets in poverty stricken areas.
The Geography of Nutrition in Grand Rapids
Kirkhof Center KC 68
There are various factors that influence nutrition, within social sciences it can be effective to look at geography and type of nutrition. Does the frequency of higher and lesser quality nutrition outlets correlate to economic conditions in an area? Data were gathered from CRI database, USDA Farmers Market Directory, and Google Maps. Number of fast food and healthy alternatives were compared in two sample groups of five neighborhoods each in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In neighborhoods with >15% in poverty, 36 fast food and 14 healthy alternatives were observed. In neighborhoods with 15% of population in poverty and fast food restaurants. Healthy alternatives show noticeable disparity between sample groups, with an observed difference of 1275.81 per capita between samples. The results support the hypothesis showing more poor nutritional outlets in poverty stricken areas.