Structural violence, urban retail food markets, and low birth weight

• Published in: Health & place Vol. 14; no. 3; pp. 415 - 423
• Main Authors: Lane, Sandra D., Keefe, Robert H., Rubinstein, Robert, Levandowski, Brooke A., Webster, Noah, Cibula, Donald A., Boahene, Adwoa K., Dele-Michael, Olabisi, Carter, Darlene, Jones, Tanika, Wojtowycz, Martha, Brill, Jessica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2008
• Subjects: Adult; African American health; African-Americans; Agricultural and food market; Birth outcomes; Birth weight; Commerce - economics; Commerce - trends; Convenience stores; Female; Fetal Growth Retardation - etiology; Food markets; Food Supply - economics; Grocery stores; Health disparities; Health inequalities; Health inequality; Health Status Disparities; Health technology assessment; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Logistic Models; Minority Groups; Neighbourhoods; New York - epidemiology; Nutrition; Nutrition and health; Poverty; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Residence Characteristics; Shopping; Structural violence; Urban areas; Urban Population; New York; Nutrition and health; Structural violence; Birth outcomes; African American health; Food markets; Health disparities
• ISSN: 1353-8292; 1873-2054
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.08.008

This paper investigates urban retail food markets and health in Syracuse, New York. A structured observational analysis found that a majority of corner markets do not sell fresh produce or low fat dairy products, but conduct a lively business selling lottery tickets, cigarettes, and liquor. A comparison of census tracts with and without access to supermarkets that sell fresh produce and other healthy food found that pregnant women living in proximity to a supermarket had significantly fewer low birth weight births than other pregnant women regardless of income level.