School In Storrs

Influence of “Food Deserts” on Eating Habits May Be Overstated

WEDNESDAY, July 13, 2011 (Health.com) — Neighborhoods that are short on supermarkets and long on fast-food restaurants and convenience stores have been blamed for contributing to unhealthy diets and obesity in the people who live there. So it makes sense that improving access to fresh produce and other healthy food options in these so-called food deserts would help residents eat better.

Several cities around the country have tried to do just that. New York and Philadelphia have offered financial incentives to corner stores that agree to stock more fresh produce, for instance, and Los Angeles has banned new fast-food restaurants in certain sections of the city already saturated with chains and drive-throughs. , calls into question whether these and similar initiatives are likely to bear fruit. Over a 15-year period, researchers tracked the eating habits of thousands of people in four major cities, and, contrary to the conventional wisdom surrounding food deserts, found that living close to a supermarket had no measurable impact on fruit and vegetable consumption or the overall quality of a person’s diet.

Simply adding a supermarket to a neighborhood may not be enough to change unhealthy eating habits. These stores must also sell healthy food that is affordable , high quality, and appealing to shoppers, says Janne Boone-Heinonen, PhD, one of the study’s coauthors and an assistant professor of epidemiology at Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland.

“Having access to food stores that sell healthy options is critical, but it needs to be accompanied by approaches that address other factors,” says Boone-Heinonen, noting that the study did not distinguish supermarkets stocked with fresh produce from those selling rotten bananas.

Troy Blanchard, PhD, an associate professor of sociology at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, says the study may cause some experts to reassess how a person’s environment affects his or her diet.

“The food-desert idea was exciting because it suggested that if you live in this kind of food environment, regardless of who you are as a person, you feel some impact from that,” says Blanchard, who did not participate in the new research but studies food deserts in rural areas. The findings, he adds, suggest that “the food environment is not as important as we like to think.”

In addition to increasing access to supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmers’ markets, public health officials also need to address the consumer demand for high-fat, high-calorie foods and the lack of enthusiasm for fruits and vegetables, says Renee Walker, DrPH, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, who has researched food deserts in cities such as Boston and Pittsburgh.

My “Tour Away from Storrs” « UConn Welcome Mat

Olivia here!

This past Saturday was not just a typical “sleeping late and eating cereal while watching cartoons” kind of Saturday for me. Instead, I participated on one of the Summer trips that UConn offers, a “Tour Away from Storrs” to New York City, where I saw a performance of the “Cirque du Soleil” at Radio City Music Hall. It was my second time seeing such a performance, and no doubt was I captivated by the lights, the music, and the grandeur of it all. Just one of the many viable options for students looking to get away from campus after a week of working summer jobs and taking classes, this trip to New York City was definitely a highlight of my summer so far!

The group departed Storrs at 9:00 in the morning (one of the earlier Saturdays I have had in a while!) for the city. I went with my friend Rachel who had actually had never been to New York City before. Living only 40 minutes away from Manhattan, I spent many a high school weekends exploring all of the different areas it has to offer. Additionally, with a best friend who goes to college in the “Big Apple” and a sister who has an apartment in the Upper West Side, I was so excited to show her all that I knew.  It didn’t hurt that I am a UConn tour guide either, so I used my “touring technique” as Rachel likes to say as we walked through Times Square, down Madison Avenue and through Central Park. After having a traditional hotdog from a vendor outside of Radio City Music Hall, it was finally time for the show.

The entire group who came down on the bus from Storrs sat together for the performance. Though we were in a balcony section of the music hall, we could still see the stage perfectly. In fact, I think our seat may have been even better than floor seats because we could get an areal view of all the action! The show we saw was called “Zarkana”, and it was advertised as one of the most advanced acrobatic shows out of all previous Cirque du Soleil performances. The advertisement really rang true—one of my favorite acts was when a man balanced not only a ladder on his chin, but also a woman doing a handstand on top of the ladder! Talk about mind boggling! The entire show exceeded my expectations, and my expectations were pretty high to start!

After the show, I acted like a tour guide once again and took Rachel to Central Park, where we walked around and explored  this peaceful area in the middle of a mega metropolis! We ate real New York Pizza for dinner, followed by the famous Magnolia bakery for dessert. I had banana pudding—my absolute favorite! Following dessert, we loaded the bus back to Storrs for the drive home.

Annual report of the Storrs School Agricultural Experiment Station, Storrs, Conn

Report

Annual report / Connecticut. Agricultural Experiment Station, Storrs

Report

Annual report