How Far Do Low-Income Parents Travel to Shop for Food? Empirical Evidence from Two Urban Neighborhoods

2011/07/01 by Amy Hillier, Carolyn C. Cannuscio, Allison Karpyn +3 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Medicine · Social Sciences · #Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet #Urban Green Space and Health #Urban Transport and Accessibility

paper · doi:10.2747/0272-3638.32.5.712

openalex publication_date 2011/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

Research on the impact of the built environment on obesity and access to healthful foods often fails to incorporate information about how individuals interact with their environment. A sample of 198 low-income WIC recipients from two urban neighborhoods were interviewed about where they do their food shopping and surveys were conducted of food stores in their neighborhoods to assess the availability of healthful foods. Results indicate that participants rarely shop at the closest supermarket, traveling on average 1.58 miles for non-WIC food shopping and 1.07 miles for WIC shopping. Findings suggest that access to healthful foods is not synonymous with geographic proximity.

Citations

• Effects of Urban Spatial Structure on Individual Behavior
• Mobility Strategies and Food Shopping for Low-Income Families

Cited by

• The race travel penalty for food shopping in metropolitan areas of the United States

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• Obesity and the Built Environment: Does the Density of Neighborhood Fast-Food Outlets Matter?