Store hours an obstacle to fresh foods in low-income areas

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/osu-wte042816.php

Public Release: 28-Apr-2016
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Store hours an obstacle to fresh foods in low-income areas
Ohio State University


Getting more nutritious meals on the tables of low-income Americans could depend on the hours the stores in their neighborhoods keep.

Stores likely to sell fresh produce aren't open as long in areas with more socioeconomic struggles, and that problem is more pronounced in neighborhoods where many African Americans live, new research from The Ohio State University has found.

In affluent neighborhoods, 24-7 access to a wide array of foods is far more common.

"Let's say you're stringing together a few jobs and you get off work at 10 and your market closes at 8. It's a big problem," said researcher Jill Clark, an assistant professor in Ohio State's John Glenn College of Public Affairs.

"It's just another burden that we are placing on families that already have so many burdens."

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