Local foods, community health, and food security latest research on - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Local foods, community health, and food security – latest research on patterns and relationships

Amber Canto Poverty and Food Security Specialist University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension Laura Brown Community Development Specialist Center for Community Economic Development University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension Steve Deller Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics University of Wisconsin-Madison

Some slides adapted from Laura Brown and Colette Hershey “Wisconsin Food Systems Indicators” 2012, Matt Kures WEDA Conference, Sept 13, 2011, and Steve Deller , Laura Brown, and Amber Canto “Local Foods and Community Health: An Exploratory Analysis” 44th Annual Conference of the Mid Continent Regional Science Association, May 29-31 2013 Kansas City

Overview

I.

Framing Connections between public health and local foods

II.

Findings of exploratory analysis

• III. Public data portals

Discussion

¨ What factors influence public health? ¨ How would you define local foods?

What influenced how you framed public health or defined local foods??

Emerging Needs & Opportunities

• Community interest in local food systems
• Increased programming in food systems among

UW-Extension colleagues

• Formation of statewide food systems team

supporting interdisciplinary approaches

• Increased focus on food and health issues from

federal funders

• Need for access to data for evaluating programs and

informing decision making

• Lack of primary food systems data across regions

Framing the Food System

Production Processing Marketing and Distribution Consumption Waste Management

Research Base

The local foods movement, or “civic agriculture” has been promoted along several lines including:

• environmental sustainability
• transparency and food safety
• food quality
• social justice
• social capital or relationship building
• rural or agricultural revitalization
• community economic growth and development
• improved nutrition, health, and diet related

disease

Research Base

Few studies have evaluated the direct relationship between locally produced foods and health outcomes or nutrition, yet improving access to locally grown produce is a strategy being promoted by the CDC. Summary of research findings:

• Local food environments may be an independent predictor of individuals’ food choice

and diet quality, and tied to health outcomes such as obesity or diabetes.

• Locally produced fruits and vegetables are not always of higher nutrient quality than

those not produced locally. Edwards-Jones, et al (2008, 2010)

• Introduction of farm stands in low-income communities with limited access to fresh and

quality fruits and vegetables positively influenced consumption. Evans, et al. (2012)

• Density of food venues - farmers markets, supermarkets/super stores – is inversely

associated with obesity. Jilcott, et al. (2011)

• A strong “local food economy” may play a protective effect in prevention of obesity/
• diabetes. Salois (2012)

Our central question: are higher concentrations of “local foods” activity associated with higher levels

• f public health?

The analysis included:

• 1. Constructing measures of “local foods” and

“public health”

• 2. Simple correlation analysis
• 3. Simple regression analysis
• 4. Geographically weighted regression

Model

¨ Classic linear regression model

PH=α+βLF+γEC+θDM+δHA+ φFA+ϑSC+ε. Public Health outcomes can be explained by = (intercept) + + measure of Local Foods + income based economic characteristics + demographics + health care access + food access + error

Defining Public Health

Constructing the Public Health Index

Health Factors

¨ Percent of Adults Obese ¨ Percent of Adult Diabetic

Health Outcomes

¨ Percent Low Birth Weight ¨ Years of Potential Life Lost (Premature Death) ¨ Percent Fair/Poor Health

There is no universally accepted definition for “local”

¨ consumer or intermediated consumer perspective (Dunne, 2010, Zapeda, 2006) ¨ proximity-distance, drive time, food-miles

(Dunne, 2010, Darby 2008, King, 2010, Zapeda, 2006)

¨ geo-political boundaries- states or counties (Darby, 2008) ¨ local ownership of farm (Low, 2011) ¨ relationship to place (Marsden, 2000) ¨ production techniques used ¨ marketing channels used (Low, 2011) ¨ size/scale (Low, 2011) ¨ products (commodity versus non commodity crops) ¨ quality relationships /supply chain (Marsden, 2000, King, 2010) ¨ integration of supply chain (Marsden, 2000)

Defining Local Food Systems

Constructing the Local Foods Index

¨ Number of Farms with sales below $100K per 1K ¨ Direct sales for human consumption per capita ¨ Number of Vegetable - Orchards - Fruit Nut and

Berry Farms per 1K

¨ Number of organic farms per 1K ¨ Number of farms w/Value Added Activities per 1K ¨ Number of CSA farms per 1K ¨ Number Farmers' Markets per 1K

Higher ¡values ¡of ¡the ¡index ¡ are ¡associated ¡with ¡less ¡ healthy ¡characteris6cs. ¡

Spatial Getis Ord Analysis and slide by Steve Deller , UW-Madison 2013

Higher ¡values ¡of ¡the ¡index ¡ are ¡associated ¡with ¡ higher ¡concentra6on ¡of ¡ local ¡foods ¡

• characteris6cs. ¡

Spatial Getis Ord Analysis and slide by Steve Deller , UW-Madison 2013

Higher ¡levels ¡of ¡local ¡foods ¡ac6vity ¡is ¡associated ¡with ¡higher ¡levels ¡of ¡ public ¡health. ¡

Less local food More local food More healthy Less healthy Regression of Local Food & Public Health Indices by US County

The ¡rela6onship ¡is ¡highly ¡unlinear….. ¡ ¡

Less local food More local food More healthy Less healthy Regression of Local Food & Public Health Indices by US County

The ¡rela6onship ¡is ¡highly ¡unlinear….. ¡ ¡

Less local food More local food More healthy Less healthy Regression of Local Food & Public Health Indices by US County The difference between counties A-B and C-D on the local food index is the same but the difference between A-B and C-D on the public health index is large.

A B C D

Higher ¡concentra-ons ¡of ¡local ¡foods ¡ac-vity ¡is ¡associated ¡ with ¡higher ¡levels ¡of ¡public ¡health ¡but, ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

• sca9er ¡plot ¡suggests ¡that ¡rela-onship ¡is ¡highly ¡unlinear. ¡

¡

• that ¡rela-onship ¡tends ¡to ¡be ¡concentrated ¡in ¡the ¡

southern ¡US. ¡ ¡

Conclusions and Future Steps

Conclusions and Future Steps

• Refine ¡our ¡measures ¡of ¡Local ¡Foods ¡and ¡Public ¡Health ¡
• Causa-on ¡is ¡a ¡huge ¡issue: ¡do ¡healthier ¡people ¡demand ¡

more ¡local ¡foods ¡or ¡does ¡the ¡access ¡to ¡local ¡foods ¡drive ¡ health? ¡ ¡

• Do ¡local ¡foods ¡have ¡a ¡greater ¡health ¡impact ¡in ¡

communi6es ¡that ¡have ¡less ¡local ¡foods ¡infrastructure? ¡ ¡

• There ¡is ¡clearly ¡spa-al ¡dependency ¡in ¡the ¡data ¡which ¡

needs ¡to ¡be ¡further ¡explored. ¡

• Is ¡there ¡a ¡-me ¡lag ¡structure ¡that ¡we ¡are ¡missing? ¡

Discussion

¨ What is driving local foods in your

community?

¨ How are public health efforts and

local foods programs connected?

¨ What questions does this analysis

raise for you?

North Central Region Portal

www.foodsystems.wisc.edu

In addition to the factsheet for each county in the North Central region, a set

• f maps, one for

each indicator, is also provided. The idea is to help think about “clusters”.

Wisconsin Food Security Project

www.foodsecurity.wisc.edu

Wisconsin Food Security Portal

Farmers market access and availability for people with limited incomes

List of Data References for Public Use

• Ag Census: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/
• 2013 Status of Wisconsin Agriculture:

http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/status/docs/status2013.pdf

• Economic Impact of Wisconsin Agriculture: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/ag/wisag/
• USDA Farmer’s Market: http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
• Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org
• USDA Food Environment Atlas

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-environment-atlas.aspx

• County Health Rankings: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

THANK YOU!

Amber Canto Poverty and Food Security Specialist University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension amber.canto@ces.uwex.edu Laura Brown Community Development Specialist Center for Community Economic Development University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension Laura.brown@ces.uwex.edu Steve Deller Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics University of Wisconsin-Madison

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Steve Deller Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics University of Wisconsin-Madison Judi Bartfeld Department of Consumer Science, School of Human Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Jim Beaudoin Applied Population Laboratory University of Wisconsin-Madison Dan Veroff Applied Population Laboratory University of Wisconsin-Madison Anna Haines Center for Land Use and Education University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point