Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Over the past 7 years The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings has rated Bronx County as having the poorest health and social outcomes from all of the counties in New York State. Although in the past 4 years there has been an increase in farmer’s markets citywide, the Bronx has experience a 10% decline. During this same period the Bronx residents have had a 5% annual decrease in the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The Bronx is also noted to be one of the poorest congressional areas in the United State causing it to have pockets of extreme poverty where individuals are more likely to suffer disproportionate levels of negative health outcomes. Such as in the South Bronx where nearly 1 in 3 (31%) adults is considered obese and 15% of the adult population reports being diabetic, due to structural barriers including historical and contemporary structural racism as well as modifiable risk factors such as diet. As an example of structural barriers the Bronx is inundated with fast food establishments and bombarded with with fast food marketing. This proposed discussion will be guided by the findings of a farmer’s market survey that accessed eating and food purchasing behavior among Bronx residents. The proposed discussion will uphold a socio-ecological framework that will facilitate a group discussion on the proximal and distal factors influencing individual behavior.

Presenters

Elys Vasquez-Iscan

Monica Stanton Koko
Assistant Professor , Health Education, Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York , New York, United States

Antonia Perkins

Tamara Grant

Herve Fossou

Barbara Amonoo