Public health hotline neighborhoods and health in Hawai'i: considering food accessibility and affordability.

Abstract

Recent research has underscored the importance of community context to personal health. The neighborhood in which an individual lives has been associated with health behaviors and health outcomes.1,2 This relationship persists in many, but not all, studies even after individual risk factors and characteristics have been considered.2,3 One health related activity that often takes place within the community context is the purchase and consumption of food.4 Recently, dramatic differences in the accessibility and affordability of healthy foods across communities along with the possible health consequences from these differences have become very active areas of research and policy action.5–8 In Hawai‘i, few empirical studies have specifically considered the health outcomes associated with neighborhood food accessibility and affordability. A much larger body of research describes the unique characteristics of food accessibility and affordability in Hawai‘i overall and specifically within distinct communities.9–12 Many of these studies reflect concern about Hawai‘i's need for local, self-sustaining, and diversified agriculture.13 A number of programs currently focus on improving accessibility and affordability of healthy foods across Hawai‘i's diverse populations and communities. This article provides an overview of the research and some innovative interventions pertaining to neighborhood food environments and health outcomes in Hawai‘i.